


sordid moonlight

by ginger_ninja_2



Category: The Umbrella Academy (Comics), The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Adultery, Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amazing Uncle Klaus, Angst, Ben Didn't Die, Ben Hargreeves' Tentacles | Bentacles, Bentacle Sex, Biting, Blood, Cheating, Choking, Dark Daddy Ben (The Umbrella Academy), Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Domestic Fluff, Double Penetration, Drug Withdrawal, Drugs, Emotional Baggage, Gentle Sex, Ghost Related Trauma, Ghost TW, Intrusive Thoughts, Light BDSM, M/M, Marking, Pseudo-Incest, Questionable kinks, Rimming, Rough Sex, Sibling Incest, Tentacle Sex, Unhealthy Relationships, Unreliable Narrator Klaus, death ment, lying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-26
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2020-02-04 14:51:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 28,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18606754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ginger_ninja_2/pseuds/ginger_ninja_2
Summary: A chance encounter with Ben gives Klaus a place to live, a new niece, and a thousand confused emotions.It must be fate, at this point, for Klaus to consistently fuck up his own (and everyone else's) life. Because he can't follow society’s most basic rules, and most of all, he can't keep his hands to himself.





	sordid moonlight

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Welcome to my Camp Nanowrimo project lmao
> 
> It's a lot
> 
> WARNINGS: adultery (like that's literally the fic), blood, questionable kinks, Klaus, dark daddy Ben, plenty of child related fluff and happiness, a lot of angst, introspection to the point of annoyance, Klaus (again), drugs and related upset, author's inability to write Ben without Klaus making some kind of religious comparison (eyeroll), tentacles (duh), graphic descriptions of violence and intrusive thoughts, Klaus being a good uncle (not a warning, just a reassurance), Klaus being an unreliable narrator (because), comic and tv canon mixed together badly, anger issues, The Horror, ghosts. Oh and incest lmao.
> 
> I know most of these are in the tags but this is just to double check okay y'all?
> 
> Okay disclaimer: I know not many people enjoy reading about cheating, and I know it's like, another level of 'this is bad' but it's bad enough already and this is just over 25000 words of self indulgence. I'm a slut for sexy angst, please forgive me. It's a lot I'm aware, but a bitch (me) had fun writing this.
> 
> Enjoy!

At 27, you'd think Klaus Hargreeves would have better things to do than hang out in a lame, second hand bookstore waiting for his drug dealer to arrive in the alleyway next door. And yet, here he is, nose deep in  _Twilight_ , trying to blend in with the hippies and scholars roaming the bookshelves.

 

He'd find it funny in any other circumstance, but the door opens with a soft chime just as the humour begins to set in, distracting him and drawing his eyes to the perfectly coiffed black hair and leather jacket that just walked through the door, and he drops his book.

 

“Ben?” His voice is shaky, maybe from the withdrawal, maybe from the shock that colours his words. His heart jumps as the man in question turns and stares at Klaus like he's a ghost. (That's funny, because Klaus is the one that can see ghosts, although the more he thinks about it, it's absolutely not funny at all.)

 

“No, I'm not Ben. I'm a figment of your imagination.” Not Ben, but definitely Ben, says, eyebrow raised just on this side of sarcastic, crossing his arms over his chest as a small, self-conscious smirk spreads on his face.

 

Klaus clumsily tries to pick up the book he was 'reading’, fumbling it a little before he manages to grab it, placing it back on the shelf where it belongs before moving closer, a grin widening his lips. “Benny! It's been years! We should catch up, bro, I'm sure you have plenty of interesting stories to tell.”

 

With a roll of his eyes, Ben pulls Klaus into a quick one armed hug, before pulling back way too soon, clearly uncomfortable. “There's a nice café down the road, I'll buy you lunch?”

 

God, he hasn't been bought lunch for what feels like  _years_ , and his face must convey at least a little of the hunger and gratitude he's feeling, as Ben chuckles softly and turns back around to leave the bookstore. Klaus follows, sliding his hands into the pockets of his skinny jeans, kind of wishing he'd dressed a little better this morning, instead of just chucking on whatever he could find.

 

“So what were you doing in there? It's not like you to go to a bookstore.” Ben asks, voice carrying on the wind.

 

Klaus can't tell him he was there to get his next fix, but judging by the glance Ben gives his hands as he wrings them together, he won't need to. He gives him a small awkward smile, apologetic in nature, stepping into the small building as Ben opens the café door for him, ever the gentleman.

 

He sits at a booth next to the window, watching people pass by them as Ben waits by the counter to order their food and drinks, occasionally glancing back as if to make sure Klaus hasn’t run away. He feels like doing it anyway.

 

They haven’t seen each other for almost 10 years now, haven’t spoken for just as long, well, they might as well be strangers now, Klaus doesn’t know  _anything_ about his ex-best friend, his closest brother. Ben doesn’t look too different, but he holds himself more confidently, face harder and not as open. As much as he’s the same, he’s changed a lot.

 

The quiet clatter of a tray being set on the table jolts Klaus from his reverie, smiling hastily as though he was caught doing something he shouldn’t have been. Like staring. Two mugs of a frothy liquid, a smoked salmon bagel and a cheese toastie sit on the tray, he notices, fingers going slightly numb at the surprise that floods him again. Ben remembers his favourite lunch food.

 

“You still like this, right?” He asks as he passes Klaus the plate with the cheese toastie on it, sliding the empty tray onto the table behind them before sitting opposite him.

 

Taking the plate, he nods, muttering a small thank you as he lifts his mug to his lips, the heat of the hot chocolate easing some of his tremors. They sit there for a few minutes, eating, not saying anything, but Klaus is hungry enough that the silence doesn’t bother him yet.

 

“Klaus,” Ben starts, about ten minutes after he sat down, a grimace on his face as he talks. “I’m sorry, for not being around.”

 

It’s not much, but it’s a start. “You had to get out, I get that, now… I could’ve answered your calls, but I didn’t, so you’re not entirely to blame.”

 

Now the silence that follows is super awkward, Ben refusing to look at Klaus as he sets his food back down onto the plate.

 

“... We should just start over,” Ben finally says, still not looking at him but Klaus can hardly blame him when all he wants to do is leave. “Leave that in the past, pretend we weren’t idiots these past ten years.”

 

Klaus snorts a little, raising an eyebrow. “Sure, sure, that’ll be easy to do.”

 

“Have you got a better idea?”

 

He’s a little taken aback by the strictness in Ben’s voice, the lack of humour in his eyes. “... No. Sorry.”

 

Deflating a little in his seat, Ben rubs a hand at his forehead, and suddenly Klaus is incredibly worried about him. He looks tired. “I guess I’ll start?”

 

Resting his head on his hands, he nods, hoping he doesn’t look sarcastic as he waits for Ben to gather his thoughts.

 

“When I left… I took quite a lot of dad’s money. Not enough that he’d have noticed, but enough to buy me a few month’s rent at a shitty apartment downtown. Which is what I did, and it was horrible. There were rats and the walls were infested with damp but it was a roof over my head. It was above a little convenience store, owned by a little old lady whose son had just moved across sea, so she was delighted when I asked if she had a job vacancy. I worked there for about 5 years, whilst I studied English Lit at Uni, then when I graduated, I had saved enough money to move somewhere nicer, still downtown but too far from the convenience store to continue working there, so I got a job working in a bookshop, and it was quite nice. I got a degree in teaching then too, and now I’m an English Lit lecturer at my old University.”

 

Klaus gets a little lost about halfway through, a headache pounding against the inside of his skull, but what he does get is a sense of relief that Ben didn’t go homeless, that he managed to do what he’d always dreamed of. Of course he’d study literature, of course he’d be a university lecturer. He notices a small blush high on the other’s cheeks, and it makes him smile, that he’s still somewhat the same as before, embarrassed by talking about himself, worried that Klaus might laugh at him for his very mundane dreams but he’s happy, or so he seems at least, and that’s more than enough to make Klaus happy too.

 

There's obviously a lot more that he's not saying, but a lot of that is probably not the kind of thing you'd want to talk about in a public situation so Klaus decides that can wait.

 

“I… Have a daughter, too,” Ben says and the smile slides right off of Klaus’s face, plainly from shock. “Don’t look like that, Klaus, I’m allowed a family.”

 

“No, no, that’s lovely, I just wasn't… Expecting that… Are you married too? Have any more bombshells to drop? If you do it all at once I might be able to handle it.” He’s joking, or at least he means to be joking, but he just sounds exhausted.

 

“No, but what is it to you?”

 

Biting his lip, Klaus picks at his fingernails, suddenly ashamed. This, this is why he stopped answering Ben’s phone calls after the third time, because he’d get so defensive with every question Klaus asked, would get angry way too easily.

 

“I’m just wondering how many weddings and baby showers I’ve actually missed. First Al, now you, next it’ll be Vanya… Well, maybe not but still,” Ben sighs as he tries to explain, and he sounds disappointed, arms crossed again. “... As long as you’re happy, Ben.”

 

“Yeah, I am.”

 

It hurts more than he’d like to admit, to hear that Ben is happy without him, but the thought of a niece he can actually meet… “I’d love to meet them, your family, if that’s okay with you.”

 

Silence again. Of course Ben wouldn’t want a junkie around his family, what was he thinking? Klaus begins to stand, fully intending to leave and forget he ever saw Ben today, drown him away in a mixture of alcohol and drugs like he always has, always will, but Ben grabs his wrist as he walks past, an apology in his warm, deep eyes. “I’d like that. I have a feeling Ophelia will love you.”

 

His wrist aches a little in Ben’s hold, but his words make him feel wanted and it’s enough to almost bring Klaus to his knees, tears in his eyes. It’d almost be funny how desperate he is for affection, how easy it is to use that to change his mind, if it wasn’t so tragic. He can’t help but laugh a little though; of course Ben would call his daughter Ophelia, the nerd.

 

“Besides, you haven’t told me what you’ve been up to.”

 

Klaus sits back down, shrugging as he wipes his eyes as discreetly as he can, staring at the people outside, wondering if one of them is the drug dealer he was supposed to meet half an hour ago. “Well, you know… Hopping from couch to couch, getting high, living life to the fullest. It’s not hard to guess.”

 

More silence now, which just makes Klaus feel overly self-conscious. So what that he doesn’t have a job, that he doesn’t have a home, that he’s barely living at all, let alone well. Who is Ben to judge that?

 

“Are you… Homeless? Klaus I had no idea…”

 

“Well you wouldn’t, would you. It’s fine, I usually stay with some people.”

 

“Random people? Do you know them?”

 

Klaus sinks back in his seat a little, looking away. “Not always. It’s fine though.”

 

Ben seems to think for a moment, Klaus can almost imagine the gears in his mind working, as though he’s arguing with himself. “We have a spare room you could stay in? It’s not much, and you’d have to help around the house, but I don’t like that you have nowhere. You don't have to, but I'd like you to.”

 

Shocked, and maybe a little worried, Klaus just shakes his head. “I can't do that, I can't live how I do… Around your daughter. I can't put her through that.”

 

“You won't. I'll make sure you won't. I think it'll be good for both of you to… Gain new experiences. And for you to be around friendly faces.”

 

“You don't know that! What if I leave a needle around, or some e's?” Klaus whisper-shouts, not really trying to jeopardise anything but he can't help but catastrophise, to ruin it before he can  _actually_ ruin it.

 

Ben's brows furrow, his eyes hardening and Klaus can  _tell_ that he's a teacher, would be able to tell if he hadn't even told him, because he commands respect, makes Klaus want to shrink into the booth, never to be seen again. He doesn't, instead sitting up straighter, challenging him. Vanya would probably call it posturing, like she did in her book.

 

“I won't let you,” he says each word slowly, like he thinks Klaus is stupid, like he needs to discipline him. Klaus's blood runs hot. “Like I said. We'll start again.”

 

* * *

Ben has a car. Obviously. A sleek black SUV type of car. Big dick energy type of car.

 

Klaus is kind of impressed.

 

The bright pink car seat in the back, which so completely opposes the rest of the severe, commanding image, makes him smile, his heart warm. A few stray toys are littered across the back seats, a child's  _Hamlet_ open on the last page.

 

“Ignore the mess, I wasn’t expecting company.”

 

Klaus shrugs, climbing into the front passenger seat. “It’s not that messy. You should see some of the places I’ve stayed in the past.”

 

“I can imagine enough, thanks,” Ben shuts his door maybe a little too forcefully, making Klaus jump slightly. “Sorry.”

 

The atmosphere is quite awkward, thick and heavy in his lungs like it might choke him if he opens his mouth, but it’s been worse between them. They’ll manage this car ride.

 

Staring out of the window, Klaus watches the buildings pass them, windows glinting in the sun and leaving pink spots in his vision when he looks away. It’s better than seeing the people on the roads that no one else can, victims of road traffic accidents or murderers. Thankfully he’s still coming down so it’ll be awhile before he’s unable to just ignore them.

 

The car drives smoothly, the interior modern and technical, and it’s pretty clear that it’s an expensive model. He wonders how much Ben spent on it as they drive past the harbour, heading to the more suburban areas surrounding the city.

 

Ben turns the radio on, and it’s like a blessing, filling the awkward silence with soft classical tunes. Klaus frowns, turning in his seat to stare at the side of the other’s face until he glances over, slightly blushing.

 

“What is it?”

 

“This isn’t the kind of music you used to listen to. What happened to the punk rock?”

 

He laughs a little, and it’s not mean, but it sounds empty. “My fiancée likes it, and she thinks it’s good for Ophelia to listen to. ‘Expand her mind’ or something like that,” he gestures vaguely with one hand, the other staying on the steering wheel as he thinks. “I don’t listen to punk rock anymore, it’s childish.”

 

Klaus can’t help but laugh too loudly, incredulously. “You sound ridiculous.”   
  


“Yeah, well I grew up, Klaus, while you were busy getting high.”

 

He frowns, turning back around, upset that their banter doesn't flow like it used to. Klaus grew up too, it’s not his fault he didn't run away earlier, not his fault that he didn’t have any help finding a better coping mechanism.

 

The brick buildings are replaced by bigger houses, front gardens varying in terms of neatness and care, the odd few worthy of an award for their topiary.

 

They pull into a driveway, the classical music cutting off halfway through a crescendo. The front is simple, a two storey house, a few steps leading up to the front porch past a few well kept hedges. A bright pink football sits in the garden in front of a hula hoop and a tennis ball, like the sun, earth and moon. The windows are clean and they look brand new, just like the rest of the house, the cement tiles under his feet as he steps out of the car virtually unmarked.

 

He follows Ben up to the front door, hands in his pockets, hearing a small, high-pitched voice coming from down the hall.

 

“Take off your shoes and coat, I’ll put them away.”

 

“What a gentleman.” Klaus sing-songs, toeing off his shoes and shrugging off his coat, passing them to Ben and smiling too wide.

 

Ben shoves him playfully, opening the under-stairs cupboard and putting his and Klaus’s things away before motioning for him to shut the door and follow him into the living room.

 

Which he does, trying to be quieter than his usual brash self, sliding along the hallway tiles in his socks like he’s shuffling on ice.

 

The living room is much smaller than the one they had at the academy but  _so_ much bigger than all the ones he’s slept in over the past few years. The furniture is a nice grey velvet, although Klaus can imagine that’s hell to clean with a young daughter. A gated fireplace warms the room from the centre, the mantelpiece sporting a fair collection of certificates and trophies.

 

But what (or who) catches his eyes first is the back of a young girl, no older than four, sat on the white shag pile rug in the middle of the room, book open on her lap, reading to the teenager sat next to her. Her thin black hair is tied in little pigtails on either side of her head, pink ribbon tied delicately around the elastic hair ties.

 

“Hey Lia, what are you reading?” Ben says, sitting on the sofa as he places a hand on her head gently, the brightest smile Klaus has ever seen on him directed at her.

 

“  _Hairy Maclary_! Lottie likes this one.” Ophelia replies before she closes the book and sets it down, pushing herself to her feet with her small, chubby hands.

 

She tilts her head in confusion when her eyes (they're Ben's eyes, brown and warm and like home) land on Klaus, moving closer to Ben, but she doesn't seem scared.

 

Ben grins wide, nodding at the teenager when she stands and asks if she can leave, handing her a few notes. “This is your Uncle Klaus. He's going to stay with us for a while.”

 

Klaus takes that as his cue to wave, his 'HELLO’ tattoo making her giggle. She climbs onto her dad's lap, bringing her book with her. “I didn't know you had a brother called Klaus, daddy.”

 

It would hurt if Ben didn't shake his head, laughing softly as he pats the seat next to him for Klaus to sit down. “Uncle Klaus is Uncle Séance, honey.”

 

He frowns at him as he collapses into the seat, arm flinging around Ben's shoulders, legs tucked under him. “Seriously? You told her my codename instead of my  _actual_ name?”

 

“Nope, she just prefers the codenames.”

 

Ophelia nods solemnly, like it was a very important decision on her part. “Fun names are better.”

 

Klaus pretends to stroke the beard that he's growing in, like he's considering what she said. “Hmm… You're right! I agree. But Klaus is more fun than Séance, trust me.”

 

She smiles at him, shyly, but it's a start. “You're my favourite superhero! Daddy talks about you a lot, I think you're his favourite too!”

 

“Oh really? I'm honoured!” He does a little bow, but his mind sticks on her last words, Ben's face somehow no different even though he can feel his own cheeks warming. There's no way that's true, not after the way they left everything.

 

“Yup! Daddy, Mum said I could bake some cookies with Lottie but now I can't, can Uncle Klaus help?”

 

Ben raises an eyebrow at him before nodding slowly when Klaus gives him a thumbs up.

 

* * *

Needless to say, as the sun sets over the trees in the back garden, Klaus is elbow deep in cookie dough, trying to explain to Ophelia that the kitchen is not really a playground, and that she should put the eggs down before Ben yells at him.

 

She's a good listener though, and puts the eggs down gently, apologising softly before passing Klaus the food colouring she chose.

 

“No, that's your job, sweetie,” he hums, pulling the dough from his fingers and stepping away from the counter, passing it back. “Add as much as you want.”

 

The grin he gets in return is so cute he might just die, watching as she pours almost half the bottle of pink colouring into the mixture. Maybe letting her put as much as she wants in was a bad idea, the pink staining her hands as she presses it into the dough, but luckily Klaus has babysat before, and so knew to put an apron on her first.

 

He didn't cover the kitchen in plastic though, which he regrets, because now the counter is flecked with dots of bright pink that, knowing his luck, are going to stain the marble.

 

“This okay?” She asks, little fingers twice their normal size due to the dough sticking to them.

 

“It's perfect.” He nods, before washing his hands and helping Ophelia to do the same, watching the small bits of dough swirl into the drain and hoping they won't clog it.

 

He flours the surface, placing the dough on top before helping her to roll it out into a somewhat flat oval shape, reassuring her that the still-white areas in the dough aren't bad, it just makes it more artistic.

 

He hears the front door open, then Ben talking to someone with a feminine and confident voice. “That's Mum,” Ophelia whispers, running to the door of the kitchen and shutting it. “Can we surprise her?”

 

Nodding, he puts a finger to his lips before passing her the cookie cutter she chose earlier, a unicorn shape, and helping to move the biscuits to the tray once she's cut them.

 

They stay in the kitchen as the cookies bake, watching them through the glass window of the oven, occasionally whispering about different things that Ophelia thinks of.

 

“My favourite colour is pink, do you like pink?”

 

“I do, but I really like green too.”

 

“Daddy's is black, cause he only wears black.”

 

Klaus stifles a laugh, eyes crinkling at the corners. “He does doesn't he?”

 

The door swings open, and they both jump like they were caught misbehaving, but before he can say anything, the woman that burst in disappears again in a flurry of silky fabric. Like someone from a spanish soap opera.

 

Ben's expression is pretty pained, which makes Klaus frown, but he smiles when Ophelia asks if everything's okay, and reassures her before following the woman.

 

“Mum?”

 

“Yeah. Do you think she's angry because I'm making cookies?”

 

“Nope, not at all. She's going to love them.”

 

Elevated voices filter through the crack in the door, so Klaus starts talking nonsense to try and make sure Ophelia doesn't hear her parents arguing. He's ninety nine percent sure it's about him staying, but really it's all happening too fast for him to understand anyway. He's still on a come down from this morning's high, and his head feels fuzzy.

 

When the oven pings, Ophelia starts running around, before she starts jumping up and down as she watches Klaus take the tray out.

 

“They look amazing! Now we've got to let them cool down.”

 

“Aww. I want one now.”

 

“You'll burn yourself, silly. Let's go to the living room, and you can read to me while we wait, yeah?”

 

She nods, taking his hand and pulling him to the sofa, book open on her lap. Her speech is great for such a young kid, well pronounced and only a little bit disjointed, and Klaus only has to help her with a few words.

 

The arguing has moved upstairs, which Klaus is thankful for, for Ophelia's sake (and maybe his too, raised voices aren't exactly easy for him). Although he'd love to know what they're saying, or maybe to just diffuse the situation a little.

 

It takes him a moment to realise that she's stopped reading, too absorbed in his worry that he's ruined things for them, but her gentle tapping on his arm brings him back to the present. “Sorry, hun, what's up?”

 

“Mummy's angry at Daddy…”

 

He sighs, sliding off the sofa to kneel in front of her. “Sometimes… Adults get angry over things. But it's not always a bad thing. At least they're talking about whatever is upsetting your mum.”

 

Ophelia doesn't seem to believe him, a small frown on her small forehead. “Will the cookies make her happy?”

 

Klaus nods, rubbing his hands absent-mindedly along the frayed denim edges of the ripped jeans over his thighs. “I'm sure they will. Everything will sort itself out.”

 

* * *

They're back in the kitchen half an hour later, Klaus putting white icing on the cookies and then Ophelia artistically placing sprinkles on top, when Ben knocks on the kitchen door.

 

“Hey, those cookies look amazing,” he starts as he stands in between them and watches as Ophelia holds one up for him to see. “Lia, can I steal Klaus from you?”

 

She giggles a little, nodding. “Yep! But you have to give him back to me.”

 

Ben chuckles quietly as Klaus puts the icing and the cookie down, leaving Ophelia to continue decorating as he follows Ben into the hallway.

 

“Klaus, this is Katie, my fiancée,” he introduces them, as Katie holds out her hand for Klaus to shake (although she doesn't look happy as he shakes it). “Katie, Klaus.”

 

“Well, it's nice to finally meet one of Ben's siblings.” Her long, dark brown hair sways elegantly as she pulls it around and over her shoulders, green eyes inspecting every inch of Klaus.

 

He smiles wide, putting on his charm, trying to ignore how uncomfortable he feels being scanned. “Nice to meet you too, I'm sorry for any intrusion.”

 

She shrugs faintly, seeming less than pleased with her inspection but satisfied at least. “I knew what kind of family I was signing up to join when I agreed to marry Ben, so you could say I was prepared for something like this.”

 

Klaus decides he doesn't like her yet. She's too… Judgemental, too uptight. “Family eh?”

 

Her lips quirk up at the sides, but with too much control to be natural, and it makes Klaus want to just back out of the whole agreement right now.

 

“Well we'd best go and get your things, Klaus. Go and wait in the car.” Ben passes Klaus the car keys, before wandering into the kitchen again, Katie following him without a second glance at Klaus.

 

He's never been more thankful for his ability to just let other people's issues roll off his shoulders like water on a duck's back. If he was more self-conscious, she would've shaken him up way too much.

 

The neighbourhood looks a lot different in the dark, streetlights making pockets of light along the road, the trees and bushes casting shadows on the ground like shadow puppets, the wind giving them life. The car is cold inside as he slides in, his breath leaving his mouth like little clouds.

 

He turns the radio on to a pop station, Lady Gaga filling his mind enough to block out the howling of the wind that sounds all too much like screaming to him. Jolting a little as the driver's door opens, he raises an eyebrow at Ben as he sits down.

 

“What?”

 

“If me being here is causing arguments, I don't want to stay.”

 

Ben just ignores him, shutting the door and putting the car into drive.

 

“Ben I'm serious, you can't force me to stay if I don't want to.”

 

“Okay, look,” he begins, as he passes Klaus the SatNav. “Katie just had some concerns about… You staying, just like you did, and I explained to her that we've already discussed the drug thing. She's okay with you staying so long as I set some house rules.”

 

Tapping in the postcode for the place he had been staying at until this afternoon, Klaus nods a little. He'd rather just not stay still, but the thought of a warm bed, heating, food  _and_ being able to see his niece and brother all the time… Sort of overrides any discomfort Katie is making him feel, overrides his hatred of rules.

 

“There won't be many, don't look so panicked,” Ben places the SatNav back in its holder on the dash, clearly disappointed with their destination but he doesn't comment on it. “Simple things, like no drugs in the house, no bringing back random strangers, no swearing in front of Ophelia. Easy things.”

 

Klaus scoffs, sliding down the seat and propping a foot on the dash in front of him. “Easy for  _you_ maybe, but you forget that the drugs aren't for fun, Benny.”

 

“Another house rule. Don't call me that.”

 

Shrugging, he changes the radio station until something indie and soft flows through the speakers, not as extra as Lady Gaga. “Sure thing, Benny.”

 

They pull up outside the apartment block, a group of hoodie wearing 20-somethings wolf whistling at Klaus as they walk past, his ripped skinny jeans revealing probably too much. He likes it that way.

 

Ben just frowns at them, stern enough that they look away, but one of them whispers something to the others and they all burst out laughing. “They think you're a hooker.”

 

“Pfft, yeah and you can be my client. My rich sugar daddy.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

The stairwell smells of weed and piss, just as they look like they would, the railings rusty and old, the stairs themselves worn down from years of foot traffic. Ben's expression is priceless, nose turned up and clearly disapproving of the location.

 

“Just up a few flights of stairs. You can stay here if you want, I don't have too much to carry.” Klaus skips up the first flight, leaning over the railing that creaks dangerously with his weight resting on it.

 

Shaking his head, Ben follows him up, pulling him away from the edge by his coat. “I don't trust you to not fall down the stairs.”

 

He giggles obnoxiously, turning around and walking up backwards. “You're no fun, brother. Mind you, you never were the fun one.”

 

“... Klaus, say one more word before we get back to the house and I'll hide all the alcohol.”

 

It's enough to shut him up, a pout displaying his thoughts for him, almost turning to a grin at Ben's satisfied expression, turning back around and climbing the stairs for a few more minutes in silence.

 

He knocks gently on the door marked ‘46’ before walking in, a cloud of smoke wafting out into the stairwell before he ducks inside, Ben agreeing to wait outside as he grabs his things.

 

Most of his t-shirts and vests are strewn around haphazardly, flung on top of counters and tables. His roommates are all sat in a circle, sharing a bong in front of the TV, so focused on their conversation that they don't even notice him wandering around and grabbing his stuff.

 

Once everything he owns is packed in a duffle bag he's going to liberate from them, he shouts a quick goodbye before closing the door, frowning as the smell doesn't leave.

 

“We can't go back just yet, we smell like weed.” Ben frowns, sniffing his own jacket, nose turning up again.

 

“Yeah that's cool. We could… Get ice cream?”

 

“In Winter?”

 

Klaus nods, slinging the bag onto his shoulder before running down the stairs and waiting for Ben to follow. “Mhmm! I know a little café that sells the best strawberry in the whole city!”

 

* * *

With two ice creams in his hands and his bag in the boot of the car, Klaus feels the weird calm before the storm of true withdrawal hits, his head clear and not in pain, his fingers not numb, his muscles not twitching.

 

That's all to come in a few hours.

 

For now, he's as sober as he's been for years. No ghosts right now either. Sometimes they don't appear, if there's no one around that they could be attached to. Ben's with him though, and he has  _plenty_ of ghosts attached to him.

 

_Ben's eyes are shiny with tears of guilt and anger, hands trembling in little fists at his sides, coated in a thick layer of slowly congealing blood._

 

_Around him are a small crowd of ghostly figures, moaning and whining in their displeasure and pain, filling the small cupboard that the two of them are hiding from the last robber in._

 

_“There's no one there… They understood why you did it, Ben…” Not the first time he's lied about Ben's victims. He knows Ben doesn't believe him, can see it in the way his eyes drop, shoulders loosening as he gives up._

 

_“Don’t… Don't l-lie to me.”_

 

Klaus licks a drip of melting ice cream from Ben's cone as the other drives, memories flooding back slowly like a tide, the other downside to being sober.

 

The car stops by the harbour, somewhere they used to go when Diego would hotwire one of Dad's cars and they'd escape for the night, the six of them at sixteen, and they'd mess around and talk until the sun started to rise.

 

Ben leaves the car and sits on the bonnet, arms stretched above him as he leans back against the windscreen, and Klaus does the same, passing him his cone.

 

“... I'm sorry.”

 

Ben frowns at him, taking a moment to taste the ice cream. “What for?”

 

“Everything… Ignoring your calls, insulting you the day before you left, lying to you about the… Ghosts around you,” The stars are only just visible above the ochre light pollution, but they glisten just as prettily as they would in the countryside. “That we lost each other.”

 

They let the sound of water washing up against the dock fill the gap in conversation, gentle and soothing as Klaus's mind races with all of his regrets.

 

_The house is mostly silent, besides the hushed whispering in Klaus's bedroom, quiet but insistent, angry._

 

_“Ben you can't just leave, that's not fair!”_

 

 _“To who, Klaus?! To you? That's the only person that matters, right? What about what's fair for_ me  _?!”_

 

_“I don't know, just don't go! We can talk to Dad, o-or Pogo, or do something at least, but you need to stay!”_

 

_Ben throws a pillow at Klaus as he tries to take the other's hands, glaring with an intensity Klaus has never seen from him before. “I need to go. You can't stop me. I just came to say goodbye, but maybe I should've just left.”_

 

_The tears rolling down Klaus's face burn his skin, the panic seizing his heart. “Please, Ben, I can't do this alone…”_

 

_With his hand on the door handle, Ben's face towards the hallway, his voice sounds a million light years away, and Klaus knows he'll never reach him again. “Goodbye Klaus.”_

 

“You've apologised already. I know… I know you didn't mean to hurt my feelings. Losing each other was mutual, not your fault in the slightest… I could've visited, or met up with you…-”

 

_Ben's voice sounds tinny through the phone in the hallway, tired and still angry._

 

_“When are you coming home?”_

 

_“I'm not, Klaus. Get it into your thick skull that I've left.”_

 

_Klaus's breath comes out shuddering, his free hand gripping gently around his neck like a safety assurance. “... Are you safe at least? Comfortable?”_

 

_“Why does that matter?”_

 

_“Because it does, asshole! Why bother calling if you're going to get angry at me for worrying!”_

 

_“... Let me talk to Allison.”_

 

_He hangs up in retaliation, storming past the others as they cuss him out for hanging up before they could talk to Ben._

 

“-We were teenagers. Traumatised kids. I've been getting therapy for four years now, and it still hasn't helped yet, that's how bad the trauma is. Of course we'd fuck up eventually.”

 

Klaus laughs emptily, the sound making him cringe. “I could've told you that.”

 

_He jolts awake, ghostly whispers cycling through his head as he shouts Ben's name, only to remember that he won't hear him, that Ben isn't here anymore, that Ben won't come running into his room to cuddle him back to sleep._

 

_The tears fall again, and it takes everything in him to not call the number Luther wrote down in the address book for Ben. If Ben can live without Klaus, then Klaus will just have to learn to do the same._

 

Ben's free hand slowly pries Klaus's fingers away from where he'd wrapped them comfortingly around his neck, cautiously, giving Klaus a chance to pull away from the touch. Instead, he intertwines their fingers carefully, still not looking at the other.

 

“I want this to work. I've missed you too much.”

 

Klaus smiles, the ice cream's taste flooding his senses at the sudden influx of sensory input as his panic and deep-rooted sadness lifts the shackles on his senses a little.

 

“I've missed you too.”

 

* * *

The house is silent as they walk in, all the lights out, the fire in the living room completely doused.

 

“Katie must've gone to bed with Ophelia,” Ben mutters, locking the door behind Klaus before standing next to where Klaus is sitting on the sofa. “So what belongings do you actually have?”

 

“Some tops, a few jeans, and a mug.”

 

Ben nods slowly before sighing. “We can go shopping tomorrow, get you some new clothes and some food you'd like.”

 

It's such a small gesture but it fills Klaus with warmth, and he smiles brightly at the other in gratitude, hugging the bag.

 

“Shall we unpack what you do have?”

 

Klaus shakes his head, they might not smell like weed anymore but he's certain his belongings will. “Um, the clothes should probably be washed first… As should my mug.”

 

“Okay, follow me.”

 

They walk to the kitchen, and Klaus puts his mug in the dishwasher with the plates from Katie and Ophelia's dinners and the baking stuff, laughing quietly at the confused expression on Ben's face as he reads the mug.

 

“Why do you have an Umbrella Academy mug?”

 

Klaus shrugs, biting his lip as he pretends to think. “Thought it was ironic.”

 

Rolling his eyes, Ben leaves the kitchen and wanders down a flight of stairs into the basement, pointing to the washing machine, and standing to the side as he watches Klaus shove his clothes in. He throws a laundry pod in with the clothes before Ben takes over, turning it on.

 

“I'll find you some pyjamas, show you your room, and in the morning I'll give you the official tour of the house.” Ben explains as they watch the clothes spin in the soapy water, somewhat mesmerised.

 

A small bark from upstairs pulls them from the hypnotic silence, and Klaus puts his hands on his hips. “You didn't tell me you had a dog, I want to meet them.”

 

Laughing a little, Ben hurries back up the basement stairs, closely followed by Klaus, when they're met with a small white bundle of fluff, curly and slightly wayward.

 

Klaus kneels down and giggles as the dog runs into his arms, jumping all over him and licking his face.

 

“This is Mimi, the demon of the house.”

 

With arms full of energetic white fur, Klaus frowns exaggeratedly, holding her more protectively as he stands. “What do you mean? She's adorable, which is more than I can say for you, Benny.”

 

Huffing out an exasperated laugh, Ben shoves Klaus’s shoulder gently, closing the basement door and heading towards the stairs to the first floor. “Shut it, Klaus. I'll be back in a moment.”

 

He nods and sits back down in the living room, letting Mimi run around his feet before she jumps up and settles next to him, his hand in her fur, her soft breathing calming him.

 

Ben has such a normal life now, it's almost like his powers don't exist. There are none of the holes in the walls that he used to have in his bedroom, no ripped up cushions, no reminders of the tentacles anywhere. Hell, he has a kid and a dog, things he'd always vehemently been against having because he thought he'd hurt them.

 

How does he keep them back?

 

Maybe he's a serial killer. The thought just makes Klaus cringe, his intimate knowledge of Ben's many victims making that joke somewhat insensitive.

 

Although, it has been 10 years since he left, a decade is a long time to learn how to control shit. Klaus didn't learn but Ben was always smarter than him, more in control than him.

 

“I hope these are alright, they're all I could find really.” Ben throws an oversized t-shirt at Klaus's head, followed by a pack of new boxers.

 

Klaus inspects them before shrugging, petting Mimi's fur to calm her down when she looks up. “I suppose they'll do,” he grins up at Ben as he sits on the other side of Klaus. “I have a question, but you can tell me to fuck off if you don't wanna answer.”

 

“Shoot.”

 

“How do you… Cope with the wiggly dudes?”

 

Ben laughs, shocked, clearly not expecting that to be the question, or maybe it's the phrasing. Either way, it makes Klaus laugh a little too. “They don't like that name, you know,” the smallest tentacle peeks out from under Ben's shirt, gently tangling around Klaus's fingers before it disappears again. “We talk, we have a good understanding of each other. Like in most relationships, communication is key and so on. Did you know They're connected to other worlds too?”

 

Klaus shakes his head, flexing his fingers a little, low-key impressed so far.

 

“Yeah, so They feed from those, and now They don't  _need_ to kill here… I haven't killed anyone for about seven years,” his voice wavers slightly at the number, like he's ashamed he even has to say how many years it's been. Klaus just thinks he's so much stronger for it. “I wonder if Dad knew that all it'd take for me to be able to control Them was to talk to Them…”

 

“If you start asking that, you'll spiral into a pit of depression, trust me.” The tremors are threatening to come back, his teeth chattering like he's cold as he wraps his arms around himself. Ben notices, and stands up, a placating smile in his face.

 

“Come on, I'll show you your room, and we can sleep.”

 

* * *

It's been two weeks since Klaus moved in, and it kind of still feels like a dream. They have a good arrangement, where Klaus babysits Ophelia when Ben and Katie are at work, and in exchange, he's allowed a slightly higher than normal amount of alcohol once Ophelia is asleep. It means that although completely (other) drug free, Klaus isn't plagued by night terrors. He still gets the nightmares, but they're manageable.

 

He still sees the ghosts, and there's plenty to see around Ben, but it's manageable.

 

He's actually incredibly proud of himself. He'd been to rehab several times, where he was forced to go completely cold turkey, and as soon as he was out, he relapsed wholly. With the constant support from Ben, and the reminder that it's to keep Ophelia happy and healthy, Klaus is managing.

 

He's miserable. But managing.

 

Of course he knew it'd be hard, had accepted that completely when Ben offered him the room, but it's been pure and utter torture to not just give in to old habit and ring his ex-dealers. He couldn't do that to Ben though. Or little Ophelia.

 

He loves her just as much as she loves him, which is a lot. Apparently he's the 'only fun adult in the whole universe’, which is a title he's  _extremely_ proud of, especially when it makes Katie roll her eyes and Ben laugh.

 

Small things he's noticed.

 

It's been a long time since he's lived with people that aren't strangers, and as such, he's noticed an awful lot about the small family. First of all, Mimi is the only family member that Katie shows open affection to on a regular basis, and if she'd just let him in, Klaus knows he'd be able to help her be more open with the others. But she doesn't like him, and that feeling is mostly mutual, so there's no hope there.

 

Ben is quite the opposite, which came as both a complete surprise and simultaneously not at all a surprise. He'd always been super quiet and reserved with his appreciation of their siblings and Mum and Pogo as a kid, but he's always been kind, almost to a fault. It's nice, seeing him love so openly.

 

Another small thing he took note of when going through the wardrobes one day when Ophelia was napping, is that Katie's clothes all fit him perfectly, and all look amazing on him. This is less important.

 

Perhaps the most telling thing he became aware of is how quickly Ophelia latched onto him. Being his brother, Klaus knows that as nice and helpful as Ben is, he's not the most fun person on earth. Sure, he'll sit with them at her little tea table and have a tea party with them sometimes, and he'll have a little joke around, but he has a tendency to be quite serious.

 

Okay yes, Ben is a sarcastic shit, but that's with Klaus. With Ophelia, he has a very different approach, mostly gentle and encouraging. He's a great father, Klaus would never say different. But he isn't  _silly_.

 

And neither is Katie. If anything, Katie is too strict, concerned only with Ophelia's intelligence and health, like she doesn't have a personality that needs to be nurtured. Klaus doesn't think it's Katie's fault, that she is a detached mother, from what he's heard of Ben's in-laws, they sound almost as bad as dear old Reggie, so he has a lot of sympathy for her.

 

Raised as an only child, she had been forced to get straight A's all her life with very little love in return, and it's left her emotionally stunted, according to Ben.

 

They work together, which does seem to make their lives easier, as they share almost the same hours, although Katie is a Maths lecturer. Because of course she is. They both seem like the teaching type.

 

So it makes sense that the moment an adult who is quite a bit 'sillier’ with her, a bit less of an authority figure, Ophelia would love it. Again, he's very proud of this.

 

He's lucky they trust him with her, he's never had this much morally okay fun in his life. It's all very mundane, and it's perfect. Taking Mimi for a walk with Ophelia's little hand clinging tight to his, stopping for a coffee at the local play café with Mimi in his lap and Ophelia running around in the ball pit. Watching her down the slide whilst Mimi barks at the other dogs in the park, pushing Ophelia on the swings and listening to her delighted giggles.

 

Kids were never a possibility for Klaus, not with his night terrors and drug use. But he's not Ophelia's dad, so most of the responsibility is out of his hands.

 

He wouldn't even be bothered if he  _was_ responsible for her. It may have only been a few weeks, but it's been lovely to have someone to do better for.

 

Right now he's in the kitchen, again, trying to pay attention to Ben as he tries to teach him how to cook, again, but mainly staring out of the window at the trees swaying gently in the late November wind, again.

 

They've been doing this every night, Ben trying to help Klaus be even more helpful around the house. Something about how it'd be so nice for Ben and Katie to not have to cook after work.

 

Klaus thinks he's doing enough already, what with babysitting their child all the time, looking after the dog, and doing most of the chores. But it keeps him busy and his mind off of the withdrawal, so if they're using him as a housemaid/servant, he doesn't mind  _too_ much. Yet.

 

“Klaus, if cooking isn't your thing, that's okay, but I don't like being ignored.”

 

Ben's teasing voice pulls him from his reverie enough for him to grin back in response. “If it wasn't so boring, maybe I wouldn't have to ignore you.”

 

“Rude,” Ben passes Klaus a stack of plates with some cutlery placed on top. “Be useful and set the table. Could you help Ophelia get ready for dinner too?”

 

Taking the plates, he nods, putting them around the table and placing the cutlery the way Ben showed him the other night. He’s quite proud of how neat it looks as he steps back, before he turns around and heads to the living room. “Hey Lia, what’re you doing?”

 

“Barbie needed a new hairdo, and Mum gave me her claw clip, but her hair keeps falling out of it.” Ophelia's little pout makes Klaus want to laugh, but this is a  _serious problem_ that he has to take seriously.

 

Sitting next to her, he gathers her Barbie's hair into a semi-ponytail, and points to where she should put the clip. The gap-toothed grin he gets is the best kind of reward for making her happy.

 

“Thank you, Uncle Klaus! Is dinner ready? I'm hungry.”

 

Nodding, he stands up and dusts himself off before leaning down to help Ophelia stand, leading her to the table. “Ben's just finishing it up.” He helps her climb into her chair before sitting next to her, placing a napkin on her lap.

 

He remembers being her age, when Dad had only just made Mum, and she'd do the same for most of them, with the exception of Luther (who had always been a bit of a show off). It's one of the few nice memories he has from his childhood, and although it's only a small thing, he hopes it's something Ophelia will appreciate too.

 

Katie sits opposite Ophelia as Ben places the dish of pasta bake in the centre of the table, a serving spoon next to it. “Help yourselves.”

 

Once everyone has food on their plates, it's mostly silent as the eat for a while, which also brings back dinner time memories from his childhood, but they are allowed to talk at this table. It's a hard habit to leave behind though, and they usually only start talking after Ophelia says something.

 

“Uncle Klaus took me to the swimming pool today!” She says excitedly, waving her (thankfully empty) fork around like it's a wand.

 

“Really? Did you have fun, dear?” Katie asks, a tight smile on her face. Today must've been a bad work day. Or maybe they'll all be lucky today, and it was a good one.

 

Ophelia nods quickly, not replying because her mouth is full of pasta.

 

“How was work?” Klaus asks, maybe a little cautiously, before filling his own mouth as well so he has an excuse to not say anything more for a while.

 

Ben puts his fork down (usually not a bad sign) and smiles (usually a good one). “Not too bad-” he begins a long monologue about his day, something about undergrads and essays. It's not that Klaus isn't listening, because he is, nodding at every pause. It's that he's distracted by how Ben is only looking at him, and so is Katie.

 

“- so it could've been worse, really.”

 

“That's nice, honey,” Katie says, still not taking her eyes from Klaus. It's a little unnerving now. He tries to think back, to try and find what she might be angry at him about, but he can't find anything. “My day was good too.”

 

Maybe it's that Klaus is taking up too much space for her liking, too much space in her husband and child's life. The rest of the dinner goes smoothly, once the awkwardness dissipates after she tells everyone about her day. With just Ophelia left to finish her dinner, Klaus begins to think that maybe he's escaped Katie's wrath today when Klaus remembers that nothing ever goes his way.

 

“So, how's the drug situation, Klaus?”

 

He wants to scream. Instead, he smiles awkwardly, shrugging. “I'm clean, if that's what you're asking.” It comes out a lot sharper than he'd planned, souring his expression a little.

 

“I can imagine how hard it is for you,” her voice is  _full_ of fake sympathy, her pleasant smile slipping from her dark red lips. “My experience with junkies is that you can't separate the person from the drugs for long, especially after being reliant on them for so many years.”

 

Klaus feels his heart leap into his throat. She's going to kick him out, Ben's never going to talk to him again, he'll never see Ophelia again. “W-well, I don't think it's any of your business.” He winces, Diego's voice in the back of his head calling him a brat for how argumentative he gets, and he agrees.

 

“I'm sorry?” Her lips curl nastily, as Ophelia gently takes Klaus's hand under the table, confused but sensing how upset he is. “You're living under  _my roof_ , I think it's more my business than anyone else's.”

 

“Enough.” Ben's voice is loud and strong, his brows furrowed. “Klaus is doing really well. He needs our  _support_ , not our judgement.”

 

“So you're going to take his side, I see? I'm not comfortable with a drug addict being responsible for our daughter!” She looks at Ben, expectant, waiting for him to see reason. “He took her swimming, Ben. What if he lost control of himself and she drowned?”

 

Ophelia's bottom lip begins to tremble, her grip on Klaus's hand iron tight. “Mummy, I like Uncle Klaus…”

 

“I know you do, but it's just not safe!”

 

“It is, Katherine. Klaus is perfectly capable of looking after her, I trust him wholeheartedly. Why can't you?” Ben's trying to stay calm, but Klaus can tell he's angry, a flash of black in his scleras that disappears quick enough that he's sure he's the only one that noticed. For him?

 

“Oh. I get it,” Katie stands, picking Ophelia up and grabbing her handbag from the side table in the corner. Her voice is calm and steady, and that's so much worse than the opposite. “This junkie is more important than your wife and child.”

 

Ben stands too, and Klaus is tempted to just slide under the table and hide forever. “You're being unfair. He's my brother, he's family just as much as you are.”

 

“No. It's us or him, Ben.”

 

Silence is quickly becoming the soundtrack to all of Klaus's nightmares, because here it is again. It's so quiet, he can hear his quickened heartbeat in his ears, the soft hitching breath from Ophelia as she tries not to cry, Mimi's snuffling from the room over.

 

He wants the floor to open up and swallow him whole. If Ben chooses them, he's going to be back to square one, alone and desperate for his next high, always searching for the next sofa he can crash on, with more memories of Ben to wash away with drugs. But if Ben chooses him… Well, he won't. There's no use entertaining such fantasies of a happy family. Not where Klaus is concerned.

 

“Katie, you can't expect me to choose.”

 

“Fine. We're going to stay with my parents until you do.”

 

And they're gone. Ophelia's crying stops when a car door shuts, but then Klaus's starts.

 

“Ben I'm so sorry, I can leave, I'm sorry…”

 

For a moment, Ben just stands, silent and still. Klaus stands, shaky and confused, intending to go and pack his stuff, when he sighs, loud but not angrily. “Klaus, you've really got nothing to be sorry for…”

 

“I have. I'm ruining your family, just like I knew I would, I should go before I tear it apart completely.”

 

Ben moves in front of Klaus, eyes warm and understanding, if still a little angry. “No. This is as much your home as mine, as hers. She'll come around eventually. I'm not letting you go anywhere.”

 

None of Ben's gentle words calm his racing heart, or his self-deprecating thoughts, his fingers shaking as he tries to stop the tears running down his cheeks. Ben swipes his thumbs beneath Klaus's eyes gently, wiping away the tears before he gathers him into his arms.

 

“I've only just got you back. I don't want to lose you again.”

 

“... Thank you…” Klaus returns the hug, feeling the warmth spread from his chest outwards, but it doesn't quite touch the feeling of dread that's lodged permanently in his mind.

 

* * *

Breakfast without Ophelia feels strange. Especially strange considering that he's only known her for a few weeks. It must feel even weirder for Ben.

 

Perfect, lovely, kind Ben, who woke up extra early to make breakfast for  _him_ , like Klaus is the one whose fiancée stormed out last night with his kid.

 

He still feels bad, but with the caffeine from a mug of coffee coursing through his veins and a stomach full of homemade waffles, it feels mostly dull, the sharp edge dampened by how welcome and cared for he feels.

 

They haven't spoken much this morning, mostly because Klaus doesn't really want to talk, but Ben seems happy enough to not speak too.

 

Ben's reading the newspaper, sat across from him at the dining table, occasionally looking at Klaus over the top, but he's pretending not to notice, sipping a glass of orange juice and watching Mimi run around the garden.

 

It's quiet, but peaceful.

 

The complete opposite to Klaus's mind. Yes, okay, he's upset but also happy. That's confusing enough.

 

But he'd forgotten… A lot, during the past decade, what with being high and drunk and homeless most of the time. Mostly… How much Ben meant to him.

 

He was fine. They'd been fine, these past weeks, maybe a little closer than most brothers who hadn't seen each other for years, but it wasn't too weird.

 

But last night? Ben sticking up for him, being gentle with him? Brought every repressed teenage emotion flooding back. He barely slept last night, mind racing, heart thudding in his chest.

 

A foolish part of his brain tells him it's love (of the romantic variety). The logical side tells him it's wrong. He doesn't know what to do.

 

Ben and Klaus had always been close, as kids they had maybe the most difficult powers to deal with, especially once Five fucked off and never came back. Of course they naturally gravitated towards each other.

 

Ben was the only one of their siblings that could calm him down just as much as the drugs could, and Klaus was the only one reckless enough to stay with Ben at night, despite the danger from the creatures in his stomach. As children, they were best friends, inseparable. As young teens, it was discouraged by their father, which only made them need each other more. As older teens… The lines began to blur between brothers, best friends and something… Else.

 

They'd argued about it the night before Ben left. Klaus is still of the opinion that  _he's_ the reason Ben left when he did.

 

After that, it was agony to watch Luther and Allison skip around each other, hearts in their eyes, whispers and giggles on their lips.

 

It was bliss to be ignorant to that again, to forget that his feelings for Ben ran deeper than they should've. He's been exposed to the real world for long enough to know that decent society frowns upon incest. It only makes him hate his feelings more when that changes nothing.

 

He groans quietly as a headache builds up behind his eyes, rubbing the bridge of his nose gently.

 

“Aspirin?”

 

Klaus nods, about to say thank you when there's a tentative knock on the door, quiet and small. Ben stands and passes him the tablet before he walks to the door, opening it.

 

Peeking around the doorway, Klaus smiles when he sees Katie and Ophelia standing on the other side of the door, Ben's reassurance to him the night before that they'd be back true.

 

“Uncle Klaus!” Ophelia runs over to him, completely ignoring Ben (who just laughs, clearly not surprised), wrapping her arms around his legs like a shackle, tight and restricting. He almost trips over, holding himself up by the doorframe as he reaches down with his other hand to pat her head gently.

 

“I'm just here to get some things,” Katie says, hair tied in an elegant bun, makeup perfect. “Ophelia… Wants to stay here. I just need some time to understand, by myself if that's okay.”

 

Ben nods, sidestepping to let her in, inclining his head in Klaus's direction before muttering something to her.

 

Her eyes land on Klaus then, and although he's still reeling from last night, as is she, her eyes only hold a slightly indifferent warmth, without judgement. “I'm sorry for the things I said last night, Klaus. I hope that, given some time, I'll be able to overcome my… Issues with you.”

 

It's not the most heartfelt apology he's ever heard but it's very well said, and he smiles at her. “Thank you. I'm sorry too, for how I reacted…” It's not as eloquent as her apology, but it's enough to earn him a weak smile in response.

 

She goes upstairs, probably to pack, Ben following her up. Ophelia hasn't let go of him yet, but he gently pries her arms away from around him so he can kneel down in front of her. “I'm sorry to you too, sweetheart. This will all be sorted out soon.”

 

“I know. It's okay, Uncle Klaus, Mummy doesn't hate you.”

 

He smiles at her before she wraps her little arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. It's amazing how much such a new person in his life can fill him with such love and warmth.

 

Katie comes back down the stairs a few minutes later, suitcase packed already. Something tells Klaus she's been ready for this longer than she's letting on, but he hopes that it's more recent than he fears. She gives Ophelia a long hug, before letting go, kissing her forehead. “I'll see you soon, sweetheart,” she hugs Ben too, before heading to the front door. “I'll call tonight, before Lia's bedtime.”

 

“Alright. Say hello to your parents from me,” Ben says as they all wave goodbye before she drives away. “Okay, I've got the day off today, I say we go out for ice cream.”

 

Ophelia nods enthusiastically, almost vibrating with excitement and energy. “And the park! We can take Mimi!”

 

* * *

They drive to a park on the other side of town, one that's bigger and more popular with dog owners than their local one, and that has fountains (which explains why Ben brought towels, because he wouldn't say before).

 

Almost as soon as she's out of the car, Ophelia heads straight for the climbing frame, still within eyesight of Ben and Klaus as they laugh a little at her enthusiasm.

 

Klaus attaches Mimi's leash to her harness as Ben follows Ophelia, locking the car as Klaus joins him. “Do you remember this park?” Ben asks, hands in the pockets of his leather jacket, a far away look on his face.

 

“Yeah…” Klaus frowns a little. The memories aren't bad, per se, but the melancholic feeling that overwhelms him isn't exactly what he'd class as a good feeling. “It's sad that most of our happy memories are here and not… At home.”

 

Ben chuckles quietly, rolling his eyes. “It sucks, but I would say we had quite a few good memories there too. Remember that time you made Diego miss his shot by screaming at him and he cut down the chandelier? Or when we had cookies on the roof?”

 

“I thought you screamed at him?” He conspires, nudging Ben slightly with his hip when the other tuts. “Okay fine, that  _was_ fun.” He doesn't bring up how both of those memories ended in them getting punished, because he wants to feel the warmth from the happy memories, because it'll chase away the frigid-ness of the melancholy.

 

A park bench becomes vacant a few minutes later, and with Ophelia still running around the climbing frame, they'll probably be there for a while before they get their ice cream, so they sit, Mimi laying down at Klaus's feet.

 

The sun is still rising, bright and unhindered in the clear Winter sky. Late November usually brings snow storms or rain, but at the moment, there isn't even a single cloud. The sun's rays are pretty warm too. It'll all change soon, Klaus is sure. Better make the most of it while they can.

 

It's a nice day. Klaus turns to Ben, and feels how his heart melts as the sun’s rays hit his hair, lighting up the dark brown in a ring, like a halo, like Ben is an angel, an ethereal being, too far out of reach for him. His ‘HELLO’ hand moves of its own accord to rest carefully on Ben’s arm, their eyes meeting. Dark brown becomes amber in the sunlight too, like a molten pool of toffee, but he smiles wide, hopes Ben doesn’t read too much into it.

 

Ben’s (bigger, rougher, warmer, fuck) hand rests over his, his smile in return more blinding than the sun (is the sun really all he can think of?), and Klaus has the (very sudden and totally brand new) thought to just lean in closer, press their lips together and forget everything that matters.

 

“I want…” Ophelia pants as she runs back over, the spell broken as quickly as it overcame them. “Ice cream!”

 

Klaus nods, gesturing between them with a mock-enlightened gasp. “What an excellent idea!”

 

Looking slightly (fakely) put out, Ben sighs as he stands, taking Ophelia’s hand and holding the other out to Klaus, winking at the other as he agrees to buy them ice cream.

 

* * *

The week without Katie passes as smoothly as possible when he can’t stop thinking about Ben’s lips, Ben’s hands, Ben, but he manages, and with the constant reminder that Ben is an almost married man walking around the house, it does make his life a little easier.

 

It takes her a while to look at him, but they managed a heart to heart one evening after dinner in the garden, sharing a cigarette that Ben wouldn’t know about, and although he still doesn’t  _like_ her, and she obviously still has her own problems with him, they can sit in the same room and not fill the air with tension.

 

But still, he’s thankful for the lack of her presence again when she goes on a business trip a week before Christmas. Now he can breathe without worrying that the next breath he takes will make her finally decide to kick him out. Also, somewhat selfishly, it means he gets Ophelia and Ben to himself, like now.

 

They’re at the cinema, watching another of Disney’s princess films (what it’s called Klaus doesn’t remember, the ghost in the corner freaking him out enough that he misses the title card), sharing a bag of sweet and salty popcorn that Ophelia is keeping on her lap between them. The film is interesting enough, but he is much more fascinated watching how happy it makes Ophelia, how her little face lights up every time the funny chicken is on screen.

 

When they leave, she doesn’t stop talking about her favourite parts, babbling on in her car seat before just breaking out into song, getting most of the words wrong but having fun anyway, and she only sings louder when Ben joins in, voice soft and secret, as though no one else can know he sings along to Disney films. It’s sweet.

 

They get home after a quick detour to the supermarket, and they laugh their way through dinner, still talking about the film, even when Klaus takes her to bed, staying with her until she falls asleep, still humming under her breath until she starts snoring cutely. He brushes her hair away from her face, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead before tucking the duvet up under her chin and tip-toeing out of the room so as not to disturb her.

 

He collapses onto the couch with Ben, laying on his back with his head in the other's lap, laughing at the fond but sarcastic smile on his face, rolling his eyes.

 

“Is she asleep?”

 

“Yep, sound as a pound.” Mimi sniffs at his hand as it flops to the floor dramatically, his other hand on his bare stomach beneath the crop top he's wearing.

 

Ben flicks between the TV channels, trying to find something to watch before giving up, leaving it on a cheesy Christmas film.

 

The female lead and the male love interest are skating on an ice rink in the middle of Manhattan, laughing as she trips him up accidentally before falling on top of him. It makes them both laugh at how cringey and tropey the scene is, every moment from that point of the film onwards sending them into fits of giggles until his stomach cramps and his eyes are watering.

 

“I know, I know it's meant to be… Cute or whatever but that's so fucking funny.” Ben wheezes out, a hand on his forehead as he holds his torso, trying to stop laughing at how stupidly the characters on the film are acting.

 

“No it's fucking  _hilarious_ ,” Klaus corrects, shoving Ben's arm slightly when it veers too closely to his face. “This film is the worst, and I love it!”

 

Ben coughs out another laugh, face red and slightly shiny from laughter tears, and he looks so happy, and Klaus feels so happy, and they've had a great day, and so Klaus leans up suddenly and presses his lips to Ben's.

 

The laughter dies down slowly, like a fading record, the film quiet as the characters fall in bed together, as Ben's hands drop to the sofa on either side of him, and Klaus feels his heart sink, sick to his stomach when he realises… Holy shit he just kissed Ben.

 

He shoots up off the sofa, hands awkwardly rubbing at his neck as he stammers, unable to apologise or explain. Klaus can only stand there, embarrassed and ashamed, as Ben stares up at him like he's a complete stranger.

 

“I-I'm so… So sorry, I… I'll just…” He looks at the front door, at the wind-blown trees waving outside, and feels the itch he hasn't felt for a few days to just give up and drown his sorrows. “Go…”

 

His footsteps don't even register to him until he's at the front door, hand on the doorknob, no coat, no shoes, but ready to just leave. He'd look back but he's too scared of what he'll see, of the back of Ben's head, minutely shaking with disgust.

 

A slightly silky appendage wraps around his wrist tightly but not uncomfortably, halting him as he opens the door, shock coursing through his veins.

 

Ben's voice is rough and deep, maybe from the laughing, maybe from emotion, but there's not a single question in his voice (or the shivers it sends down Klaus's spine) when he speaks. “Please don't go…”

 

The tentacle pulls him slightly, so he shuts the door and turns the lock, before letting it bring him to Ben, still ashamed but less embarrassed than before, hope creeping in the back of his head like ivy, steadfast.

 

Ben's eyes are searching his, only a few inches from his own, deep and piercing, like he's seeing into Klaus's soul, laying him and his feelings bare and exposed.

 

“Don't… Don't let me ruin it this time.” Ben whispers against his lips, his breath warm and wet and Klaus might just cry, because Ben never ruined anything, it was all Klaus, and if they do this now, everything  _will_ be ruined, but he knows he's selfish enough to do it anyway.

 

And so when Ben leans in close, hands sliding up to cup Klaus's face as he kisses him, Klaus kisses back, tilting his head a little to deepen it, hands on Ben's wrists to ground him, dizzy as a thousand conflicting emotions surge through him.

 

Ben's lips against his are soft, a little chapped but warm, electricity sparking wherever they touch. It's gentle, and cautious, and the complete opposite of the desperation Klaus feels building in his lower stomach, clouding his mind, choking him. If he tilts his head a bit more, if he parts his lips teasingly, it's only so he can breathe, so he can clear his mind, so he can taste Ben's mouth as he slyly darts his tongue out and slides it along his lips, not pushing, just touching, teasing, tasting.

 

Fingers wrap around his neck carefully, like he might break if Ben tightens his grip, thumbs pressing against the blood vessels on either side of his throat but not pushing, not choking him, just comforting him how he does to himself when he thinks no one is looking, and Ben takes advantage of the gasp that drags from his lungs to slide his tongue in, to claim his mouth.

 

He tastes like popcorn and strawberries, and something that's distinctly  _Ben_ , like the scent he gives off naturally. Does he taste how Ben thought he would? Has Ben thought about kissing Klaus as much as Klaus has thought about kissing him?

 

He's had people's tongues in his mouth before but he feels like this is his first kiss, his knees weak, unsure of what to do with his own tongue as Ben's explores his mouth, wet and heavy. They pull apart slowly, breathing fastened and eyes unfocused, cheeks red and hands gripping.

 

“Bed.” Ben whispers, pressing another quick kiss to Klaus's lips before taking his hand and pulling him up the stairs. Ben opens the door to his bedroom, pushing Klaus in gently and shutting the door quietly so as to not wake Ophelia.

 

A flash of regret and doubt races through him as he remembers he has a  _daughter_ , he's engaged, they shouldn't do this, but with the emotion in Ben's eyes, the way he touches Klaus's neck so reverently, maybe it's not a bad thing that they're doing.

 

He's overwhelmed already, mind blissfully empty as Ben kisses him again, softly, gently, like he might break if he pushes too hard, and he might, so completely overcome with emotion and warmth that he could crumble at the slightest touch.

 

Deft fingers pry his crop top up and over his head, before helping Klaus to lay on the bed, Ben climbing on after him and positioning himself between his legs.

 

Klaus sits up, using Ben's t-shirt to pull himself closer, kissing him with slightly more need and energy, trying to convey his desperation for them to be  _closer_. He seems to understand, kissing back with a bit more bite, much more saliva, the sounds of their kissing wet and loud in the big bedroom.

 

His lips are bruised, every press and nip of Ben's teeth making his back arch, pain and pleasure mixing, his growing erection uncomfortable in his too-tight jeans. Ben fists his hand in Klaus's hair carefully, still so gentle, but Klaus has gotten past his tenderness and needs something  _more_ now, needs that hardness, that edge that Ben hides.

 

“Fuck me,” he moans delicately against Ben's lips, pushing his hips up a little. “Please.”

 

Ben's lips slide down his jaw to his neck, his breath wet and hot against the sensitive skin as he whispers. “Are you sure?”

 

“Mhmm, traffic light system.” He answers the unasked question of safewords, gasping when Ben acknowledges him by pulling his head to the side with his hair, and biting down leisurely, not hard enough to break the skin but enough for Klaus to get rock solid hard in record time.

 

Ben's teeth leave imprints on the pale skin, bruises already forming around the bite mark as he licks over it, soothing the pain. The ache spreads around his throat as he continues, dragging breathy moans and groans from him.

 

Pushing Klaus back down onto his back, Ben pulls his jeans off, never breaking eye contact. That is, until he realises Klaus has no underwear on underneath, a brow raising incredulously, tutting as he watches his cock flop against his stomach. “Seriously, Klaus?”

 

“It… It doesn't look right with underwear…” Klaus hums softly, biting his lip when Ben flicks the head with a controlled force.

 

“Maybe you're just a slut,” Ben conspires, straightening up so he towers over Klaus, commanding every last bit of his attention. “For anyone to use…”

 

Klaus shudders, exposed, laid bare in a much more physical sense to Ben than he's used to. “Just you…”

 

The other hums, a fond smile overtaking the (slightly sadistic, holy shit) smirk that was there before as he leans over him, arms caging his head in either side. “Hmm, my slut then…”

 

Klaus grins, pushing his hips up again to get at least  _some_ friction on his aching member, but Ben sits up again, shaking his head at Klaus's efforts. He sighs, glaring up at the smug look on his brother's face. “Take your clothes off, it's not fair.”

 

Ben laughs at Klaus's pout, before pulling his t-shirt over his head, throwing it to the side with Klaus's clothes, shrugging as if to ask if that's what he wanted.

 

On the one hand, Klaus wants to sit up and unbutton Ben's jeans himself, discover every inch for himself. And yet, he's comfortable where he's laid, happy to watch. It's frustrating. “And the rest, please Ben.”

 

He nods, standing off the bed to pull off his jeans and boxers, and Klaus almost laughs at how awkward it looks, how ordinary it is, nothing like the strip-teases in porn. Maybe he does laugh a little, but it's returned with a soft laugh from Ben too, and that doesn't in the slightest negate the heat that rushes through him when he sets his eyes on Ben's cock, only slightly larger than his own, flushed a dark red.

 

Flutters of anxiety beat in his chest, and once again he feels like a virgin, even though he is far from pure and innocent. But it's  _their_ first time together, so he cuts himself some slack. This time is so different to all the others.

 

“You okay?” Ben asks as he pulls a bottle of lube and a condom out from the bedside table, settling himself between Klaus's thighs.

 

He smiles brightly, shuffling back up the bed a little so his head is on the pillows, spreading his thighs wider for Ben. “Yep. You?” He wants to ask if he's sure about this, if he'll regret it in the morning, but he's too scared that Ben will stop it here, will realise how  _bad_ it is that they even got to this stage.

 

“Mhmm. Knees up,” Ben commands gently, Klaus bending his knees as his hands push them apart a little more. “Good boy.”

 

Pride surges through him at the praise, embarrassment at how Ben's eyes roam his lower half fading as quickly as it arrived, his heart full. Maybe his anxiety was misplaced. Maybe this is the right thing to be doing, maybe none of this is wrong.

 

How can it be wrong when it feels like they've been leading up to this their whole lives?

 

The sound of a cap snapping shut echoes on the walls, Ben warming up the lube between his fingers, excitement filling the air as it finally settles that they're doing this.

 

A warm, wet, thick finger circles his entrance, the sensation oddly electric, soft gasps falling from his lips, growing increasingly frustrated the longer Ben takes to actually breach the ring of muscle. Everything feels a hundred times  _more_ , like he's high, like Ben is the drug he needed all along.

 

He  _whines_ when Ben's index finger slides in to the second knuckle, slippery with lube, comfortable, and barely stretching him at all but it's just as overwhelming as if it was. The slow in and out drags on his rim, sensitive and raw.

 

“More…” he demands, stretching his back leisurely, the finger sliding deeper, his eyes closing.

 

Ben chuckles fondly, pulling his finger out before sliding a second one in along with the first, Klaus giggling a little and revelling in the gentle stretch. Ben's so soft with him, he wonders if maybe he struggles to be too rough for too long. His neck aches at the thought and he remembers that yeah, Ben can be rough. Maybe it's because it's their first time. Maybe it's because it's Klaus.

 

Maybe he can live with it being soft and gentle this time.

 

A third finger joins the other two, and the laughter stops as Klaus sighs, enjoying the wetness and slight burn, opening his eyes to peek at Ben's face. He flashes his teeth at him in a wide grin (what a nerd), before curling his fingers up and rubbing at his walls.

 

Moving his hips a little in time with Ben's fingers, he freezes as Ben rubs against his prostate, back arching.

 

“Found it,” Ben hums proudly, sliding his fingers against it once more before pulling his fingers out and wiping them in the sheets. He tears open the condom, rolling it over his cock. “Ready? What colour?”

 

“So green right now,” Klaus mutters, lifting his legs up over Ben's shoulders, grinning when he presses a kiss to his inner thigh. “Want you inside me.”

 

“So bossy, babe.” He chastises as his member nudges against Klaus's hole, his hands holding onto his thighs as he pushes the head in.

 

They both moan quietly, even just the head stretching him wide, so thick and hot he can feel the heat resonate through his hips. He's had his fair share of dicks inside him, and Ben certainly isn't the biggest but he's obviously biased, so that makes no difference.

 

Ben pulls out again, Klaus groaning in annoyance. “Come on…”

 

“Be patient, you brat.”

 

He frowns before attempting to roll them over with his thighs, so he can have at least a little control over the situation, but Ben just tightens his grip on his thighs, pushing them further apart as he pushes in again, torturously slow, a little more this time.

 

The tip nudges his prostate minutely, but the way he's holding him prevents his movement, so he has no chance to push back and force him deeper, unable to do anything but let Ben do him however he wants.

 

He shivers when Ben drags his lips up his thigh towards his crotch, tickling the sensitive skin, the muscles beneath quivering. Sighs and quiet gasps leave him as Ben sucks and licks hard into his inner thigh, leaving dark pink splotches in his wake.

 

Klaus reaches a hand down to touch his neglected cock, growling lowly when Ben swats his hand away, trying to get at least some relief.

 

“I swear… Klaus, we'll go quick next time, but this is our first,” Ben lets go of his left thigh to slide his hand through Klaus's hair, soft. The primal anger deep in the back of his mind calms at the gentle touch, his throat closing up a little at the promise of a  _next time_ , that Ben wants to be gentle with  _him_ of all people. “I want it to last as long as we can make it, make it memorable.”

 

He's pretty sure a hard, rough fuck would be memorable enough, especially since they're both completely sober. But… Slow and (dare he say) romantic sounds nice.

 

“Fine, next time then.” He rolls his eyes but smiles, blushing a little when Ben rests his hand on his cheek and leans closer, pressing the softest kiss to his lips. It's enough to choke him up again, he might start crying, but he doesn't want to cry when they're having sex.

 

He's saved when Ben pushes in again, slowly still, but enough to take Klaus's mind off the emotion again, at least halfway in, and he's not stopping, forcing him open so sweetly.

 

Ben stops only when their hips connect, breathing deeply and rubbing Klaus's thighs as though trying to distract himself, his own breathing probably less than normal as he tries to focus on the sensation of being filled so well.

 

He doesn't do missionary very often, but being able to watch every emotion and flicker of pleasure on Ben's face is a sight he'd love to remember forever, especially when he pulls out almost the whole way before sliding back in luxuriously, not as slow as before.

 

Everything is wet and hot and emotional, each well-restrained thrust causing a quiet squelching noise, lube-sticky skin against skin, the moonlight shining in through the large window, highlighting Ben's profile in a way that makes him look like a god. Klaus has never been one for religion, but he'd worship Ben to the ends of the earth.

 

With the way he's looking at him, Ben might think the same of Klaus.

 

One of Ben's hands move from his thigh as his thrusts pick up pace, still slow but deep and sure, and he wraps his hand around Klaus's cock and it's so hard to not cum straight away. God, how much Ben affects him, it makes him dizzy. He should be able to last so much longer, and yet he's ready to bust a nut so soon.

 

At least he won't be alone, the thrusts shallower but quicker, as Ben leans closer to kiss Klaus again, pushing his tongue inside and swallowing every moan and sigh from his throat.

 

They're close, tension like lightning in the air around them as they draw ever closer to orgasm, more desperate and needy, Klaus's arms around Ben's neck to keep him close, Ben's hand working him so deliciously as he fucks into him.

 

“I've wanted… This… For so long.” Ben pants between thrusts against his lips, breathing the anguish and heartache into Klaus's existence like it's easy for him.

 

Klaus cums on a cry of Ben's name, overwhelmed by emotion, coating his hand in a sticky white mess, riding out his orgasm as Ben takes his final few thrusts, pushing in deep as he cums too, whispering sweet nothings into his ear.

 

“So beautiful, Klaus.”

 

For once, he believes the compliment.

 

* * *

Klaus wakes to the birds singing in the trees in the front yard, sunlight streaming in through the sheer curtains, casting pillars of golden light onto the bed sheets.

 

This isn't his bed.

 

This is Ben and Katie's bed.

 

Ben, whose arms are currently wrapped around his midriff, slotting them together tight, and they're very naked. He doesn't feel sticky and uncomfortable, but he doesn't remember anything past Ben's lips against his neck, soft praise spoken into the skin as though that'd make his words true. Ben must've cleaned them both after he fell asleep.

 

Expecting to feel panic coursing his veins, he's shocked to notice how calm he feels, the knowledge of what they did last night not even bothering him in the slightest. It feels just as right as it did last night when they were fucking.

 

Ben is still asleep, he's sure, and Ophelia hasn't woken yet, but there's no way he's escaping Ben's hold on him, he's like a goddamn octopus.

 

Closing his eyes against the sunlight, Klaus wonders if he might be able to catch a few extra minutes of sleep when Ben stirs, pushing his hips closer to Klaus's ass, his morning wood sliding between his thighs.

 

Shit. Morning after sex? He's such a lucky person, he muses as his own cock begins to respond to the gentle rocking and friction of skin against skin.

 

“Good morning babe,” Ben hums quietly into his hair, voice rumbly and deep from sleep, spreading his fingers over Klaus's hip and gripping tight to pull him into the position he wants. “Sleep well?”

 

He sighs as Ben's cock rubs against his perineum, his hand sliding down to lazily tug at his own member, clenching his thighs tightly for Ben's benefit. “Y-yeah, you?”

 

He can feel Ben nod against his neck, breathing becoming more harsh as he speeds up his rocking.

 

It's not long before they both cum, quiet and not momentous like last night, but it's just as nice.

 

Ben's voice sounds normal as he replies, untangling himself from Klaus after kissing his cheek, heading into the en suite bathroom. Covered in both of their cum, he huffs before following Ben in, trying to not touch anything.

 

“Shower?” The other asks him, voice pitching slightly too exaggeratedly to be honest, a smirk on his face as he looks down at the mess in between Klaus's thighs.

 

He swats at the hand Ben places too close to his ass, waiting for him to turn the shower on, shutting the door so Ophelia won't walk in on them.

 

“Don't get too comfortable, you're engaged… Remember…” Do all his revelations have to hit so hard? Ben's face falls too, and it's like a spell is broken.

 

“You… Shower in here, I'll go… To the other bathroom.”

 

The door shuts, Klaus watching his  _brother's_ naked form walk away from him.

 

Numb, he climbs into the shower, letting the scalding water cascade over his skin, staining him a bright pink, but he can't feel the sting, can only feel the dread setting into his mind.

 

He's a homewrecker, a cheat, an adulterer, and it's so much worse because they're brothers, they're family, his daughter is Klaus's  _niece_ … He's ruined everything, just like he knew he would, albeit in a different way to how he'd envisioned.

 

Why didn't it hit earlier? Why did it have to happen when they were happy?

 

Oh how Dad would laugh if he knew. 'You always were such a disappointment, Number Four, you cannot help but desecrate everything you touch.’ His words echo in the tiny bathroom, the water rushing around him not loud enough to drown out the voice of his trauma.

 

If only his mistakes could be his own, without Dad butting in where he isn't wanted.

 

Because this might be the worst one he's made.

 

He spends about an hour in the shower, until the water stops feeling hot, until the 'doom and gloom’ stops feeling so apocalyptic, until he can compose himself enough to grab a fluffy towel and step out of the shower.

 

The cotton feels scratchy and rough on his damaged skin, but at least he feels absolved of any and all terrible sins they committed last night and this morning (who's he kidding? He'll never be able to escape the memory).

 

As he leaves Ben's bedroom, towel wrapped around him to protect his modesty, yesterday's clothes clutched tightly in his hand, he hears Ophelia and Ben having a conversation about  _Moana_ again downstairs.

 

He slips into his bedroom, throwing his clothes into the laundry basket and dropping the towel, drying himself off as carefully but quickly as he can without peeling off his skin (the water wasn't hot enough for that, but he's always been a little dramatic).

 

He finds a mesh vest and a tie dye crop top and pulls them on, followed by another pair of ripped skinny jeans, this time with underwear. A pair of black bunny slippers on his feet, and a quick layer of mascara on his lashes, and he's ready to go downstairs and face… Whatever's waiting for him.

 

Ben and Ophelia are sat at the dining table, bowls of cereal on the table in front of them as they chat, an empty bowl for Klaus placed in front of the seat next to Ben. Relief that Ben still wants to be next to him floods his nerves, enough that he might crumple. Instead he smiles at them both as he slides into the seat, grabbing the box of chocolate pillows and the milk.

 

“Good morning Uncle Klaus!” Ophelia exclaims, much too loud for 10 in the morning, but with a grin that brightens up his bad mood.

 

“Morning, honey,” he pats her hand gently before taking a mouthful of cereal, chancing a sideways glance at Ben. “Morning, Benny.”

 

His smile is way too forced, but he repeats the sentiment, paying more attention to his coffee when Ophelia decides Klaus is a more interesting conversation partner.

 

The rest of breakfast goes much the same way, as does the day, the tea party post-breakfast strained, the quick walk around the block with Mimi tense, lunch and the game of monopoly so difficult to bear Klaus might tear his hair out.

 

It's unbearably awkward, and he knows Ophelia can tell, but she's trying her best to keep Ben and Klaus close, and maybe it's just a kid's intuition but he has to applaud her tenacity.

 

After dinner, again very tense, Ben takes Ophelia to bed, giving Klaus a moment to breathe without feeling like he might accidentally let slip that Ben's cock has been on his mind all day. Oops.

 

He flicks through the TV channels whilst he waits on his impending doom to come back downstairs, balking when the first show he lands on is a drama about a woman cheating with her sister's husband. It hits a bit too close to home, hitting the channel up button so quick his thumb hurts.

 

The next show is some kind of celebrity gossip talk show which, similarly, is much too accurate about their fucked up family for him to be comfortable watching it. Eventually he gives up, switching on the weather report and letting the words swirl in his head in an attempt to block out the guilt.

 

“We should talk.” Ben announces, his voice loud from behind him, his heart jumping a beat at the suddenness.

 

“No need to jumpscare me, jeez.” He rolls his eyes, a hand clutched dramatically over his chest as Ben sits beside him, a less than impressed look on his face.

 

“No one can know…”

 

“Well no shit, Sherlock.”

 

“Klaus can you take this one thing seriously, please?”

 

Klaus glares at Ben, and that's all it takes for the other to push Klaus down and kiss him desperately, like a parched man in the desert, the only source of water beyond Klaus's lips.

 

They're both angry at themselves and each other, translating into bites and clashing teeth, the sharp pain of his lip splitting open intensified by the sweet, metallic taste of his blood in his mouth, Ben's moans, his moans.

 

A car pulls into the driveway and Ben leaps off the sofa, looking scandalised, as Klaus sits up, wiping his lips with the back of his hand and licking off the blood.

 

“Not… A word…”

 

The sound of Katie's heels and her suitcase rolling over the concrete grow louder until the front door opens, raising an eyebrow at the scene in front of her, Klaus facing the garden and Ben stood far away, staring at the front of the house.

 

“Did I walk in on a domestic?” She asks, perfectly curled hair bouncing as she pulls off her high heels, standing in the doorway. She's clearly joking, but the controlled heat lacing the words slightly negates the light-hearted nature of the joke.

 

Ben scoffs, walking over to her and kissing her cheek, with lips that were just assaulting his own, and Klaus feels a sick sense of fascination at that. “Something like that.”

 

There's silence for a moment, they must be having some kind of silent conversation, in sync with each other like an engaged couple should be.

 

“Have you realised why it is I'm so uncomfortable with him staying with us now?”

 

It's so out of the blue he has to force himself to not laugh incredulously. Why can't she leave him alone? Of course, she has every right to despise him, but she doesn't know  _why_ she actually has that right. The dread fills him again, like it has every time Katie decides to open her pretty red lips and speak to Ben, his hands fisted tightly, knuckles white as he tries to hold back the snarky remark about how he's been fucking her fiancé.

 

Ben sighs so loudly that Klaus can't help but turn to look at him worriedly.

 

“Katie please, you've literally only just got home, there's no need to start this now.”

 

“I think it's a perfectly good time to mention it, when Ophelia isn't around.” At least she cares about her daughter.

 

Klaus decides that as much respect as he has for her as Ben's fiancée and Ophelia's mother (although it can't actually be that much respect considering what he's done), he doesn't like her one bit, no matter how emotionally stunted she is, or whatever other excuse that can be used for her lack of compassion and tact. Before he'd always try to find something good to say but he's already having sex with her guy so he doesn't see why he should try anymore.

 

“I'm too tired to argue with you, but no matter what kind of arguments me and Klaus have had, we're not kicking him out.”

 

She huffs, possibly finally understanding that Ben is stubborn as all hell when he wants to be, eyes somewhat sad and resigned as she grabs her suitcase and heads for the stairs to unpack and probably to sleep (in the bed  _he_ was fucked by her fiancé in). “It's like you love him more than you love me.”

 

They stare at each other in silence once she's gone, as Ben sits down again, her words hanging between them as guilt consumes them once more, their hands somehow finding each other without their permission, grasping tight and unrelentingly.

 

They're the worst kind of fuck ups.

 

* * *

It's still tense the next day, and with Katie's vibes being off too, it doesn't take long for Ophelia to have a meltdown or a few. He feels so bad for her but at the same time, all he can think is how much he sympathises with her, how much he wishes he could just breakdown and cry and scream about life being unfair.

 

He decides to spend most of the day after breakfast in his room, music blaring loud through his headphones to drown out the snarling laughter of the ghosts calling him some of the worst names he's ever had thrown at him.

 

Maybe he deserves the punishment. Maybe he could steal some of their less expensive wine they keep for emergencies and just get blackout wine-drunk to avoid dissecting his feelings. Maybe then they'd kick him out once and for all, because he can't leave on his own accord.

 

His breakfast doesn't stay down long, running to the bathroom and throwing up in the toilet, eyes streaming, throat burning.

 

Maggots and blood swirl in his mind, creaky groans from the corner adding to the dread twisting his stomach, the self hatred gripping his mind.

 

What have they done?

 

Katie may be the kind of person he doesn't get along with but that doesn't justify him wrecking her family. Shit. He really,  _really_ fucked up big this time. This is so much worse than anything else he's done, even the undeniably illegal stuff, and the worst part? He only feels bad because Ben has a family. And he'd do it again in a heartbeat.

 

He'd do it again right now, vomit still coating his mouth, because he loves Ben. He loves him so much he's prepared to hurt him and everyone they love just to prove it. Disgusting.

 

Disgusting, says the decaying body, slouched in the corner, a cockroach skittering out from the gaps in his teeth and through the hole that was once a nostril. Revolting, he says, eyes empty and glassy. Pathetic.

 

He throws up again as the ghost fades away, a haunting laugh echoing on the walls.

 

* * *

He doesn't go downstairs again for the rest of the day, forgoing lunch and dinner and staying locked up in his room until he falls asleep.

 

Feeling like shit when he wakes up feels like only a small price for him to pay for his transgressions, but Ophelia's gently knocking on the door, so he lets her in.

 

“Breakfast is ready, Uncle,” she smiles at him softly, with compassion in her little voice, and she seems so grown up, so understanding and yet so kind. She's so much like Ben it hurts. “Missed you yesterday.”

 

“I missed you too, sweetpea.” he smiles, pulling a dressing gown over his vest and boxers and slipping his feet into his slippers, following her from the room as she skips down the stairs.

 

Katie and Ben smile at them from the dining table, and it feels like yesterday and the night before never happened. Klaus smiles back, helping Ophelia sit in her chair before sitting down himself and helping himself to some toast.

 

It's mostly small talk that fills the silence as they eat, the weather, Katie's parents, Ben's work. A pile of letters sit at the end of the table, this morning's mail, and Ophelia passes it around when she's finished her (unicorn) cereal.

 

Ben and Klaus receive identical white, lacy embossed envelopes, and they both shrug a little at each other as they inspect them.

 

“Well open them then,” Katie implores, putting down her own pile to watch them. “I'm dying of anticipation.”

 

They open them at the same time, Klaus gasping a little in shock as he reads the pretty cursive words typed onto thick, similarly embossed paper.

  
  


_Dear Klaus Hargreeves_

 

_You are cordially invited to the ball celebrating Claire Hargreeves’ 5th birthday_

 

_Please wear an outfit fit for a princess’ ball, and feel free to bring a plus one._

 

_When: Saturday the 3rd_ _of February, 2017 at 18:00_

 

_Where: The City Hall_

 

_R.S.V.P as soon as possible to Allison Hargreeves via the return address or phone number on the reverse._

  
  


Now that's exciting. He hasn't seen Allison since he left the academy (not counting the many times he's seen her on a TV screen, or on a billboard), and so hasn't met his other niece yet.

 

He does have to wonder how she knew he was living with Ben, and how she knew where Ben was living even, but then again, her power is being able to speak into existence whatever she wants. She probably rumoured some person of power to tell her where they were.

 

He wouldn't put it past her.

 

Ben has a similar smile on his face to the one Klaus can feel stretching his lips as he reads out his own invitation, the only difference being his name and the addition of 'and family’.

 

“A ball? A celebrity ball?” Katie asks, slightly stunned, clearly excited. Ophelia looks about ready to bounce out of her seat, face red with excitement. “We have to go.”

 

Ophelia nods quickly in agreement, words rushing out of her so quickly it sounds like she might just start speaking gibberish. “A princess ball! I know what I want to wear, Mummy you remember my pink dress? Do you think Claire will like it? I don't know Claire but if she's a princess then I need to impress her!”

 

They all laugh at her enthusiasm, Mimi barking from the living room at the loud noise. Maybe a big party is exactly what they need to bring them all back together again.

 

After they all calm down a little, Ophelia drags Katie upstairs to find the dress she wants to wear, leaving Ben and Klaus to clean up the table.

 

As Klaus is washing the dishes, Ben dries them, and they work in silence for a while before Ben stops and looks at Klaus pointedly.

 

“Yeah?”

 

“We need to talk. About everything.”

 

“That's a lot to talk about then,” Klaus jests, still upbeat despite the panic twisting his guts again. “But I know.”

 

“Good. Then you understand that we can't… Do that again, right?”

 

Ben's voice is shaky, and if Klaus was more of a hypocrite he might call him out on it, but he isn't, he's self-aware enough to know that he too is going to sound a little unsure of himself when he speaks again.

 

“I do… I get it. It was a mistake.”

 

Inhaling sharply, Ben nods, continuing to dry the dishes that Klaus is cleaning. “Okay, that's good. We can put it behind us.”

 

He doesn't want that, and he can tell Ben doesn't either, but if it's for the best, and if it's what he pretends he wants, then Klaus can pretend too.

 

* * *

Christmas and New Year's pass by without a hitch. They spent Christmas Day together like a big happy family, sharing presents and eating good food, then for the week following Boxing Day until the day after New Year's, Ben Katie and Ophelia stayed at Katie's parents house.

 

Klaus, left alone for that week, somehow manages to not get high (although he does get a little too drunk a few nights, and now he doesn't remember what happened). He also doesn't sleep, laid awake with thoughts of Ben's lips on his feverish skin, fingers inside of him…

 

The BDSM club he ended up at on New Year's was thankfully open, and to cut a long story short, it was simultaneously the best and most painful way he's ever gone into a new year. At least he managed to forget what Ben's cock felt like with so many others around him, if only for a night.

 

But they're back now, none the wiser to his week long alcohol induced slutting around, all the evidence either destroyed or just at someone else's place.

 

The girls hadn't managed to find the dress Ophelia wanted to wear to Claire's party before they left, so they spend the day after unpacking looking for it whilst Ben and Klaus catch up.

 

Ben spends most of the conversation complaining about how stuck up Katie's parents are, how judgemental they are, how annoying they are. It makes Klaus laugh a little, at a certain anecdote about Mimi getting stressed out in the new environment (not the funny part), and taking a shit on their pristine white carpet.

 

He makes sure to give her extra treats as an apology for making them take her.

 

Ben does ask about his week but he mostly lies about it, saying he met up with some friends and promising that he didn't touch any drugs (mostly true, really).

 

Later in the afternoon, once Ophelia and Katie have finally found the dress and shown the other two, Katie pulls Klaus aside with a grin and a gentle hand.

 

“Hey, I've been pretty shitty the whole time we've known each other,” she begins, leaning against the stair railing in the hallway as Klaus leans against the doorframe, listening. “And I know I can't make up for it completely, I should've been more compassionate and understanding. But… I thought we could go shopping for an outfit tomorrow, for the ball. If you want to, that is?”

 

Klaus is shocked to say the least, but he smiles wide and nods, pushing away from the doorframe and holding his arms out to her as an offering. “I'd love to, thank you.”

 

She returns his hug, her flowery perfume like poison in his lungs, choking him with guilt; between the two of them,  _he_ should be the one apologising. But Klaus is not the type to look a gift horse in the mouth.

 

Maybe all that was needed was a quick restart. Maybe things will be smooth sailing from now on.

 

* * *

Katie has an amazing sense of fashion, something Klaus had known from the beginning, but going shopping with her just solidifies that assumption about her.

 

They go to at least ten separate tailor shops and department stores, with lunch in between, with little to no success, everything either too boring for Klaus or too unfashionable for Katie to even consider, but they are having fun, and that's definitely the weirdest thing about the day.

 

“We’re clearly getting nowhere with this,” she muses, holding up a blue paisley suit jacket in front of him before shaking her head and putting it back on the rack in front of her. “I can't tell if it's the clothes or you at this point.”

 

“Hey, that's uncalled for,” he laughs softly, shrugging when she rolls her eyes at him playfully, crossing her arms with a pensive look on her face. “I just know what I want, and apparently so do you.”

 

“Yeah I do, ‘patterned, colourful, and isn't too masculine’, you know, making our job so easy.”

 

“You sound like Ben,” Klaus jibes, following her as she heads into the 'women's’ section, searching through the suits there. “He's a sarcastic asshole too.”

 

“Ouch, you hurt me,” she laughs, only half paying attention to him as she debates between two suits and puts them both back. “Lilac or mint green?”

 

“Lilac?”

 

Katie nods before diving and weaving through the racks, grabbing a suit she must've seen from the corner of her eyes, and coming back, holding it out. “Go and try this on, I'll hold my bag now.”

 

He fake salutes her after giving her the thick paper bag her dress is in (a long, sleek red fishtail dress, that looked amazing with her lightly tanned skin and brunette hair), before dodging her shove and taking the suit into a dressing room.

 

In the bright white light of the dressing room, he feels his mood suddenly drop as he stares at the face of the liar standing in front of the mirror.

 

They've only been having fun today because he and Ben have been lying to everyone about what they did behind her back, because she has no idea that her fiancé fucked his brother.

 

He feels so guilty over it all, he might just rip out his throat to stop the choked feeling constricting inside his neck like a snake. The pain, the self-hatred, the anger fills him, so many intrusive thoughts cycling through his mind that he can't tell what is his and what is the whispers of the apparitions daring him to just admit his faults and repent his sins, to join them once and for all.

 

The soft, smooth feel of the silk on his legs and arms soothes the crawling of his skin, the lilac floral fabric like a tonic to his eyes that only see blood and rot.

 

‘  _So tragic, little Klaus, can't be happy with anything. Ever think maybe your pain is your fault?’_ The farmer with combine harvester tracks stamped all over him hisses, the others agreeing with him.

 

Maybe he's right, he relents, smoothing out the jacket and turning around to look at the back over his shoulder. Maybe it's all his fault in the first place. After all, how devastated would Katie be, to find out what they've done? Especially now they're getting along? How is that not his fault?

 

He's a fake. A terrible brother-in-law, uncle, brother in general. A terrible person.

 

But he looks amazing in this suit.

 

Sucking up the emotion welling in his eyes, he opens the door to show Katie, smiling so fakely he knows she can tell.

 

“What'd you think?”

 

She crosses her arms, scanning the length of his body before nodding, fixing the collar. “Perfect. I think this is the one. What's your opinion?”

 

He's so thankful she doesn't comment on his obvious upset. “It's great, I look amazing.”

 

She sighs fondly, pushing him back into the dressing room and telling him to get changed and meet her by the checkout.

 

They ended it, he reminds himself once her footsteps disappear, folding the suit back up and hissing at the ghosts when they start yelling at him again. They ended it, so there's no need to stress out again.

 

It's all back to normal. He's fine.

 

He's good.

 

Nothing out of the ordinary.

 

* * *

They get home laughing, sharing a quiet joke at Ben's expense when they walk through the door, only laughing more at the bewildered look on his face when he sees them.

 

“Did you… Find the outfits you wanted?” He asks, Ophelia giving both of them a hug as they nod, refusing to tell Ben what they bought.

 

“It's a secret, dear.” Katie says, allowing Ophelia to drag her upstairs to play with her dollhouse, explaining that they'll be back down for dinner, and for them to let her know when it's done.

 

Ben motions for Klaus to come into the kitchen with him, the oven on, the smell of homemade pizza filling the room. Klaus sets his bag on the end counter, frowning at Ben when he tries to look inside. “Hey, no peeking. It's a surprise!”

 

Shutting the door, Ben raises an eyebrow. “Sure. You two seemed to be getting on well. Are you okay?” His voice is sarcastic, his eyes bored and clearly just trying to provoke a reaction from him, but it works.

 

“Yep, no thanks to you,” he hisses, leaning back against the countertop, turning his nose up a little. “What, I can't be friends with your fiancée?”

 

“You can,” Ben growls, a jolt of heat racing down his spine at the sound, double edged with a deepness he's only heard once before, on a mission. “I was just  _asking._ ”

 

They're close now, so close Klaus can see the black encroaching the white in Ben's eyes, the way they do when the creature reaches out, tries to take over.

 

“Worried I'd let slip about our little tryst?” Now the anger is spilling out of him too, spitting the words at Ben like it's his fault.

 

“Is that all it was to you?” Ben's hands land on the countertop on either side of Klaus, trapping him in, making him want to slide to the floor and escape, but simultaneously crash their lips together. “  _Just a fling?_ ”

 

Keeping himself from gulping, he shrugs, leaning back minutely as fear takes over from arousal for a second. “What's it to you?”

 

It's been almost a month since they fucked, he's sure there's absolutely no meaning to it whatsoever anymore anyway, but the anger and hurt in Ben's full black eyes… Negates everything he thinks about it, pushes down the walls he built up to save himself.

 

“You  _brat._ ” Ben snarls, pressing closer to Klaus and claiming his mouth roughly, all teeth and anger, red flashing before Klaus's eyes before he kisses back with just as much vigour, gasping when Ben shoves him back into the counter hard, the edge digging into the flesh of his hips.

 

The metallic tang of blood fills their mouths as they bite at each others lips, vicious and unrelenting, Klaus refusing to let Ben take over this time (at least for now, anyway).

 

They part, breathing fast and harsh, Ben's mouth painted with a light sheen of Klaus's blood, and it only serves to make him moan out loudly.

 

Ben slaps a hand quickly over his mouth, eyes wide and shaking his head, pointing upstairs exaggeratedly. Klaus rolls his eyes in response, earning him a tighter grip around his mouth, stifling his breath.

 

Klaus licks a long stripe along Ben's hand when he needs to breathe, moaning quietly to be seductive, smirking when Ben's eyes flash red, hand curling away from his face as the tentacles slide out from under his shirt. Finally.

 

The thickest one wraps around his waist and spins him around, another two gripping his wrists and forcing them palms down onto the counter, the last one nudging his legs apart before pulling down his imitation leather leggings.

 

Ben's lips brush against his ear as his hands push up his t-shirt, fingers rubbing over his nipples. “Traffic light system again?”

 

Even in the throes of angry passion, Ben is the most considerate lover he's ever had. Klaus nods, humming out an affirmative before Ben twists his nipples roughly, the tentacle pulling his boxers down to his ankles too.

 

“Fuck me rough, don't hold back, take out your anger on  _me_!” Klaus whisper-cries, tears falling from the corners of his eyes as Ben sinks his teeth  _hard_ into his neck, enough that the skin breaks, warm blood trickling down his shoulder and pooling along his collarbone, Ben moaning at… Well, probably at the taste of Klaus's blood, and with the pride of having nice-tasting blood, tentacles holding him firmly in place and Ben's teeth digging into his flesh, he cums, completely untouched, milky white splattering over the counter where his cock lies.

 

Pulling away, licking his lips audibly, Ben chuckles darkly, the free tentacle wrapping around Klaus's neck as the one around his waist pulls away, coating itself in his release. “Holy shit, baby, did that feel good?”

 

The words themselves are nice enough, but the double edge is back again in his voice, like a threatening second layer beneath Ben's own voice, and Klaus wonders if he's ever been able to  _let go_ like this with Katie, or if he's controlled and gentle with her.

 

“Felt so good… Need more…”

 

“You'll get what you're given.”

 

The sound of Ben's zipper opening has Klaus's fingers curling against the marble in anticipation, but nothing happens for a while. The tentacle around his neck flexes minutely, the flutter of his heart rate pounding against the silky appendage, a low growl from behind him in appreciation.

 

Ben's hands pull his ass cheeks apart, and a wet muscle presses against his hole, his  _tongue_ , at first just licking the ring of muscle, teasing, until he slides it in, fucking Klaus open with it. It's a strange sensation, but he's already oversensitive, and he's being slowly choked, and his soft cock is slowly getting hard again, and he might just die because it feels so  _good_ , so indulgent, and there's every chance they might get caught. It's terrible but it only turns him on more to think of Katie rushing in and catching them fucking. He feels bad too, a deep, wrenching guilt in the pit of his stomach, but he's so horny it makes no difference.

 

On a particularly deep lick, Klaus cries out loud enough to be heard from upstairs, and suddenly the tentacle that was around his neck slides into his mouth and down his throat, effectively silencing him, but also shocking him. It tastes like cinnamon and iron, warming his mouth and throat, making him dizzy.

 

Ben's tongue disappears as the thickest tentacle rubs against his sphincter, slimy and warm, like it covered itself in lube, although he's pretty sure there's no lube in the kitchen.

 

“Keep quiet, brother, we can't let anyone know what we're doing.” Ben chides in his ear, the tentacle he's deepthroating secreting some kind of liquid into his mouth and down his throat that tastes the same as it does itself, and it's so good, he sucks it a little to taste more.

 

It's all so kinky, if he was a better person he'd have every right to kinkshame Ben to hell and back, and yet all of it is like a page from his deepest, darkest desires, debauched and dirty and oh so wrong.

 

Ben called him brother. Whilst they're fucking. That's the pinnacle of dirty wrong-ness.

 

Instead, all he can do is take it as the tentacle in his mouth slides even further down, and he gags, throat constricting around it and drooling all over the counter.

 

Ben's hands return to his nipples, playing with him as Klaus's hole is methodically stretched open by the tapered end of the tentacle, slimy and hot and fucking amazing.

 

It's a lot for kitchen sex, that's for sure.

 

Ben licks along the dried blood over his bitemark, causing Klaus to choke on the tentacle a little at the pain, soon distracted by his asshole being stretched out wider than he's used to so suddenly, but it doesn't hurt, the same way his throat doesn't hurt around the one in his mouth.

 

Maybe it's the slimy stuff, like some kind of low level anaesthetic. This just gets hotter the weirder it gets.

 

Klaus can still feel Ben's anger burning under his skin, can hear it in the way he sounds tense, his whispering strained as he calls Klaus such deplorable things it makes him blush a dark red, but it's not as harsh as before, and this totally makes Klaus getting fucked an altruistic thing to do, if it means Ben can let out his pent up emotions.

 

The tentacle slips out of his ass after it stretches him out nice and wide, the other one in his mouth also sliding out and wrapping around his right thigh to pull his legs further apart as Ben pushes his cock into Klaus with one fluid thrust, both of them moaning softly.

 

He doesn't hold back, gripping onto Klaus's hair and pounding into him like they only have a few minutes to cum (which they might, because the pizza smells done and it might burn if they fuck for too long). Every thrust feels like electricity, sparking up from where they touch through his veins, firing off in his mind like fireworks.

 

Klaus wants to laugh with how good this is making him feel, Ben's cock the perfect length and girth to reach all the places inside of him that feel like heaven, and Ben is his god, giving him everything he's ever desired and so much more that he doesn't deserve.

 

How can he be The Horror when he's so divine?

 

A hand clasps over his mouth again, and he didn't even realise he was babbling nonsense until Ben shut him up, holding his head in place to look out of the window and see the moon rising behind the trees, watching them destroy and set fire to everything around them.

 

He's so close again, painfully so, and he keens breathily as the thick tentacle pushes its way inside of him alongside Ben's cock, spreading him wider than he's been spread in a while, fucking him open so deliciously, so roughly, he has to bite down on Ben's hand to not scream in pleasure and surprise.

 

They both last for only a few seconds more, Ben and the tentacle filling him with their releases so completely, and it's so warm and strange and  _alien_ that it pushes Klaus over the edge, no,  _bowls_ him over the edge, cumming harder than he's ever done before, sobbing with the overwhelming sensation and stimulation, choking on his breath as Ben whispers praise into his ear, smoothing his hair, the tentacles moving to hold him upright as his legs give out, beginning to slide to the floor.

 

“You did so well for me, baby, so good, so beautiful,” Ben coos sweetly, voice back to normal, scleras white and pupils brown again, pressing light kisses over every patch of skin he can reach as Klaus sobs harder, not from sadness but from exertion. “What colour?”

 

He laughs wetly, breathing deeply before answering, soothed by the telltale panic in Ben's voice, clearly worried that he went too far. “So… S-so fucking… G… Green.”

 

* * *

The rest of the month leading up to the party is full of stealing chaste kisses behind closed doors, quick brushing touches as they pass each other in the hallway, going out for errands together so they can fuck in the car.

 

It's almost like the sex they had in the kitchen was the last straw that broke the camel's back, knocking down the dam that was holding back all of their repressed feelings and desires, setting them free.

 

Klaus still feels an immeasurable sense of guilt and shame, but there's nothing either of them can do to stop it anymore, the floodgates not just open but completely destroyed. But it's purely sex.

 

With added emotions sure, but it's not love.

 

Well. It is for Klaus. But Klaus isn't the one who already has a partner and a child with them. Maybe he's just a rebound for Ben, someone who can take the roughness of Ben's true power, leaving the love for Katie.

 

Somehow, he thinks he can live with that. It hurts, but it's easy to forget the pain when he's floating somewhere in the afterglow with Ben's gentle words easing him out of the shackles of his headspace.

 

They're honestly so lucky they haven't been caught. It may not be the longest affair in the record books but it only took a week for them to start being more careless, start taking risks, tempting fate.

 

Klaus has a horrible terror feeling that Katie already knows and is just waiting for confirmation to do something about it.

 

The evening of the party creeps up on them, and with presents wrapped and cards written out in the morning of the day of it, there's a sense of excitement and anxiety in the air.

 

Katie and Ophelia had disappeared upstairs to get ready about an hour ago, and Klaus decided to start getting ready a little while after. He’s currently checking out his ass in the shaped trousers, a little upset it doesn’t look as big as he’d hoped but overall, the lilac suit is still really flattering on him.

 

His makeup bag sits on the desk in front of him as he debates what kind of makeup to do, concealer already on and curly hair slightly styled to the side. It’s a little longer than he’s used to, but it looks nice. When he was high all the time, he used to cut it impulsively, dye it to hell and back, but letting it grow naturally and leaving it alone makes him look a lot softer. Maybe being in a domestic setting does that to you.

 

Klaus decides that a light purple sparkly eyeshadow with winged eyeliner would be best, applying it carefully and grinning when he’s done, the final effect pretty nice. It reminds him a little of when he and Allison used to practice makeup on each other, one of the few times they ever really connected.

 

That stopped once Ben left, the reminder of what he’d lost whenever she would talk about Luther, the way her eyes would glaze over, the way her lips would curl into a fond smile, too much to bear anymore. He misses her more than he’d care to admit.

 

Standing and grabbing his wallet, he leaves his bedroom and hops downstairs, stopping by the door to put his shiny grey shoes down. Ben is in the living room, talking to Mimi softly, asking her to not trash the house when they’re gone. Her little yaps in response almost sound like an agreement, and it makes Klaus laugh as he steps into the room, hands in his trouser pockets.

 

Ben turns around, eyes widening slightly as he looks Klaus over, standing and moving in front of him. “Klaus, you look  _amazing_ ,” he begins, voice a little far-away, like he’s shocked, straightening out Klaus’s collar with slightly shaking hands, causing Klaus to frown a little. “What?”

 

“Are you okay?” He asks, taking Ben’s hands away from his collar and holding onto them, intertwining their fingers. “Nervous?”

 

Shrugging, Ben blushes softly, avoiding Klaus’s gaze. “... Maybe a little. It’s been so long since I’ve seen Allison, spoken to her, or the others… What if they hate me?”

 

It makes sense that Ben would be worried, hell, he seemed panicked enough meeting Klaus all those months ago, and that was just him. He’s sure Luther isn’t going to be there (he’s on the moon, which is a weird sentence to say), but Diego and Vanya are probably going, which is going to be fun... He has his own worries about a family argument in the middle of the party, but hopefully Allison is organised enough to keep the two of them seperate.

 

But would they ever hate Ben? He was always so kind to them, the only tension between them all has nothing to do with Ben whatsoever. Obviously there’s tension about him, but Klaus can wave that away by being obtuse and loud, there’s typical sibling related tension between Diego and Allison. The biggest tension possible today will be between Diego and Vanya.

 

They used to be so close, they even had a little two person band at one point (that Dad broke up, couldn’t be having fun in his house of hell), but they had a pretty big falling out when Diego left not long after Ben (kinda like Klaus and Ben did), and ever since Vanya wrote her book, Diego has harboured a special hatred for her.

 

Klaus can see why. Vanya really didn’t hold back in the book, and there was a lot of very sensitive information of Diego’s in it that was obviously told in confidence.

 

It makes Klaus glad he and Vanya weren’t that close.

 

“Ben, they’d never hate you. I bet they can’t wait to see you again,” he reassures Ben gently, smiling at him when the other pulls their hands apart carefully so he can hug him. “I think you might be the most unproblematic of all of us.”

 

Klaus can feel Ben’s laugh against his chest, and it makes him chuckle a little as well, straightening out his jacket when Ben pulls back. It gives him a chance to check the other out, and Ben’s wearing a form fitting black Italian silk suit and blood red bow tie, simple and yet still eye-catching. Maybe it’s just Ben. Regardless, he looks like a damn snack, and Klaus can already feel his restraint slipping, mind creating visions of Ben fucking him deep and slow, still completely clothed in his sexy suit.

 

He shakes his head slightly to dislodge the horny thoughts, his trousers tight enough that a boner would be extremely obvious. Blushing a little when Ben raises an eyebrow at him, Klaus opens his mouth to say something witty, when the moment is broken, Ophelia’s little footsteps on the stairs announcing her presence.

 

“Do I look like a princess?” She asks, slightly out of breath from running through the halls, pink glittery dress bunched tightly in her little fists so she doesn't trip over the hem as she rushes around, a taffeta carnation attached to the ribbon around the waist. Her hair is softly curled into ringlets, and she has a matching pink alice band atop her head.

 

Klaus leans down and picks her up, holding her on his hip and tapping her nose gently. “Absolutely. Princess Ophelia.”

 

Ben rolls his eyes and tucks some of her curls behind her ear, his other hand resting on Klaus’s back. If he doesn’t think about it, then it’s a totally innocent, just getting closer, touch. But if he does think about it (which he is totally doing), then it seems a little too tactile to be innocent.

 

He’s about to say something about it when Katie clears her throat behind them all, sounding a little disgruntled, and Ben lets go of Klaus like he just burnt him, smiling a little too falsely like he was caught doing something wrong. Now he just wants to roll his eyes and yell at him to act natural, because it’s definitely much more suspicious to act like he's hiding something.

 

Katie looks fabulous though, as usual, the figure-hugging dress showing off her feminine curves, the bright red that matches Ben’s bow tie drawing out the green of her eyes and the depth of her dark brown hair. She’s only wearing a minimal amount of makeup, but she looks absolutely stunning, and if Klaus had less self-esteem, he might feel intimidated. But he looks great tonight too, and her beauty doesn’t detract from his.

 

“You look beautiful,” Ben says after a moment, voice completely clear as he kisses her on the cheek, turning off the living room light and herds them all outside. “Lets go and meet Claire.”

 

* * *

They park the car on a side street not far from the City Hall, Katie holding Ophelia's hand, Ben and Klaus carrying the presents as they wander over to the grand building.

 

They walk behind the water fountains along the promenade in front of the hall, orchestral music floating along the wind from the open front door. People are milling about along the promenade, some dressed similarly to them and others wearing casual clothes (most likely tourists), leaning on the grand pillars and looking in through the windows.

 

As they step into the reception, a well dressed man directs them down the hallway and towards the source of the music, a pleasant smile on his face when Ophelia shows him her dress proudly.

 

Two grand doors with six panes of rose patterned glass each open to the main hall of the building, white covered chairs tied with golden ribbon surround tables similarly clothed in white table cloths. A small orchestral group sits in front of an area clearly designated as the dance floor, a DJ booth behind them, not in use yet.

 

A gaggle of small children around Ophelia's age are gathered around a girl wearing a tiara, giggling and dancing to the jaunty tune from the band. Allison stands not far from them, talking to some people he vaguely recognises from daytime TV, arm looped graciously with a man only slightly taller than her, her husband.

 

She's holding herself with a great amount of poise that she'd mastered at a very young age, face set in a neutral, pleasant tone. Her long, curly hair bounces when she laughs behind her hand at something her husband says, the gold sequins on her floor sweeping gown glistening as she moves.

 

She really hasn't changed much.

 

The four of them stand somewhat awkwardly in the doorway before a woman dressed in a black and white suit comes over to them and asks who they are politely, so she may help them find their table.

 

“Klaus and Ben Hargreeves, and family,” Klaus responds, nodding when the lady asks if they are  _the_ Hargreeves. “Yup, those very same people.”

 

“Well, right this way. It's lovely to meet you all.” She leads them to a table not far from where Allison and her family are standing, helping them find their named seats before she walks over to Allison and discreetly mentions to her that they've arrived (or so Klaus guesses, from the way Allison looks over and waves politely before excusing herself from the conversation she was having).

 

Katie helps Ben and Klaus with the presents (they bought a few, mostly books and a few princess dolls that Allison said she didn't have when they talked on the phone a few weeks ago), placing them on the long table designated for the gifts.

 

Allison sees Klaus first, arms already open and a bright smile on her face. “Klaus, I'm so glad you could make it!”

 

Klaus meets her with a few steps, hugging her tightly, the scratchiness of the sequins under his hands slightly painful. “You look as gorgeous as ever, Al.”

 

“You don't clean up too bad yourself,” she teases, holding him at arm's length to get a good look at him, hands sliding into his once she's decided that he does indeed look good. “It's lovely to see you.”

 

Ben moves away from the present table as Katie takes Ophelia back to their table, and Allison gasps loudly, immediately letting go of Klaus and attacking Ben with a hug so tight he can see Ben's ears go red with embarrassment.

 

He laughs quietly to himself, letting them have a moment to themselves to catch up, following Katie and sitting in his seat next to Ben's empty chair. Ophelia has a wide eyed expression on her face as she takes in everything going on, a fond warmth spreading in his heart at how innocent and cute she is.

 

“Uncle Klaus, that's the lady from the films!” She exclaims enthusiastically, pointing at Ben and Allison a few feet away. “Aunty Allison?”

 

He nods, sliding into Ben's seat so they don't have to shout at each other as they talk. Katie is looking away, her arms crossed loosely over her lap. If he didn't know better, he'd say she looks like she feels out of place. “Mhmm, that's Aunty Allison. She and Daddy will be over in a moment I think, and then she can introduce us to Claire.”

 

Ophelia claps excitedly, beginning to babble about princesses and films and dresses, all a bit too quickly for Klaus to really comprehend well, but he nods every now and then, trying to pay attention as best as he can so she doesn't feel ignored.

 

A few people come over and introduce themselves to Katie and Klaus once they realise this is the Hargreeves’ table, Diego and his girlfriend's names in front of two of the other three seats, and Vanya's name next to Diego's girlfriend's (bad idea sitting them all together, he thought Allison would know better. Although, maybe having them all sit separately would create more gossip considering this is the first time since Allison's wedding that more than two of them have been in one place at any given time), and slowly Katie opens up a little more, introducing herself as Ben's fiancée, conversing politely with the people who stick around for more than introductions.

 

After a while (about 10 minutes but it feels like a lot longer every time some judgemental old senator makes a double take at the makeup on Klaus's face), Allison and Ben return to the table, clearly in high spirits. Ben seems to be a lot calmer now he's actually got proof that the others don't hate him for leaving, which in turn calms Klaus down too.

 

“You must be Katie,” Allison says, smile much more subdued and a little guarded as she greets Katie, and it makes Klaus wonder what Ben told her. “And this must be little Ophelia!”

 

Ophelia nods quickly, hopping off her chair and wiggling her dress back into place before showing it off to Allison, who exclaims how beautiful it is. “Can I see Claire? Is she actually a princess?”

 

Allison laughs, the sound bright and familiar. “She certainly acts like one,” Ophelia takes her hand when Allison offers it to her, gesturing with her other for Klaus and Ben to follow them. “She's been so excited to meet her cousin and Uncles.”

 

Claire is wearing a golden dress just like her mum, sequinned and shiny, but much more extravagant than Allison's mostly form fitting dress. Claire really does look like a princess. Ophelia looks like she might tackle her.

 

“Claire, sweetie, there's some people I want you to meet,” Allison explains, apologising to the children around her daughter as she beckons her over. “This is your cousin, Ophelia, and your uncles Klaus and Ben.”

 

Her little face brightens up as she looks at them, excitedly reeling off their codenames before Ophelia throws her arms around Claire's neck, effectively quieting her. They both giggle and start talking quickly, as the adults look at each other and laugh.

 

After Ben and Klaus both get a hug too, Claire asks if Ophelia can stay with her and her friends, to which Ben agrees, as Allison returns to her husband's side with a promise of seeing them again after the dinner.

 

“Well, we've got some time before the dinner starts,” Ben says, leaning close to Klaus so their conversation won't be overheard by anyone. “Wanna get a drink?”

 

Klaus nods, looping their arms together and pressing closer to Ben's side, waving Katie over. She looks a little put out, a pout settled on her dark red lips. She probably feels a little left out, Klaus thinks, hence why he beckoned her over.

 

“We're getting drinks, come with us.”

 

“Where's Lia?”

 

Ben points behind them to where Claire has Ophelia sat on her lap, the two of them engaging in some kind of wild story. “She's fine, I think her and Claire are going to be close friends.”

 

Katie smiles, not quite reaching her eyes. Klaus offers her his other arm, hoping to maybe cheer her up slightly, make sure she doesn't feel left out, but she just shakes her head, gently pushing his arm back down to his side. “I'll have a Martini, please. I'll stay at the table.”

 

“Okay,” Ben kisses her cheek before she slips back through the crowd towards their table. “I thought she was excited to come?”

 

“I think she might feel left out. No one's really talking to her,” Klaus wonders out loud, pushing down the bile rising in his throat at the panic creeping in through his thoughts, reminding him that she might  _know_ about him and Ben, that maybe she's realised that her fiancé is having an affair. “Why was Allison so reserved with her?”

 

Ben shrugs, looking pointedly away from Klaus, like he can't meet his eyes. “I… She may have figured something out...?”

 

There's a small queue at the bar, and Klaus slips his arm away from Ben as he leans against the corner. “What do you mean?”

 

“Well we were talking about Katie, and then about you, and she just… Connected the dots. I couldn't lie to her.”

 

“So you just told her?” He's definitely going to need that drink now, it's not just their secret anymore, and Allison is most certainly not known for keeping secrets well. “What the fuck, Ben?”

 

Ben shushes him angrily, shuffling into the queue beside Klaus when there's a space. “No I didn't, I just didn't deny anything. All she knows is that our… Relationship is complicated, and that's it.”

 

Klaus rolls his eyes. As if that's any better. “She's going to tell everyone who'll listen.”

 

“Have more faith in her. She's a good person, I don't think she'll tell anyone. Besides, like I said, she doesn't know that much. What would she say? ‘Ben and Klaus have a weird, too close relationship?’ So did she and Luther, she can't judge.”

 

Sighing, Klaus looks up at the glass ceiling, the chandeliers hanging like glistening stars above. “Talking of, her husband is nothing like Luther.”

 

Ben elbows him in the ribs playfully, clearly pleased the conversation has moved on. For now anyway, Klaus thinks, determined to tell him off more. “Who knows, maybe she's moved on.”

 

“Maybe he's just a distraction from her true feelings.”

 

Still looking up, he doesn't notice Ben watching him until the silence drags on for too long, prompting him to peek at Ben from between his hair. “What?”

 

The bartender grabs Ben's attention, and the moment is lost, the clarity and shock in Ben's eyes gone as quick as it had come. Ben orders Katie's Martini, a glass of red wine for himself and a mojito for Klaus, before leaning in close to whisper in Klaus's ear. “We shouldn't gossip about people in situations similar to our own.”

 

Huffing indignantly, Klaus accepts his drink, returning to the table before Ben has the other drinks, sitting down next to Katie in Ophelia's seat. “Bored?”

 

“Somewhat,” she replies, taking a sip of his drink when he puts it down, not facing him. “Maybe I'll have more fun when I've had a few drinks. You'd know.”

 

He laughs, ignoring the flash of hurt at the jab, but he knows it's not intended to hurt. “True. Ben's got yours.”

 

They make some small talk about the other guests, speculating about their relation to Claire or Allison, and slowly but surely, Katie loosens up again by the time Ben returns.

 

He sits in the spare seat on the other side of Katie (the one kept empty for Luther, he's sure), and joins in their game of people watching.

 

A few minutes later, Vanya arrives, timid and quiet as usual, her black suit almost imperceptible in any difference to Ben's own, a white bow tie instead but mostly the same. Ben and Vanya had always been close, so they hug and talk for quite a long time before she even notices Klaus sat at the same table, apologising profusely as they hug too.

 

“It's fine, Van,” he knows she's not just apologising for not seeing him, that a few of her apologies are over what she wrote in her book, but Klaus doesn't really mind. Never had. “How's life?”

 

The people watching continues with the addition of Vanya once they've all caught up and Katie's been introduced. It's nice, if a little boring, the others discouraging him every time he tries to make the suggestions of what people do scandalous.

 

Eventually, he just sits back and finishes his drink, stopping a waiter to grab a few champagne flutes for everyone and passing them around before downing his in one gulp. Ben frowns at him warningly, but Klaus doesn't care. He's starting to feel a little ignored, the other three comfortable being boring with each other.

 

A knife lands in the table in between his hands, the shock sending him careening from his chair, gripping the edge of the table tightly so he doesn't fall. Diego's laughing is loud and clear through the noise of the room, only getting louder when Klaus puts his middle finger up to him as he sits in his seat, his girlfriend sitting next to him, rolling her eyes. “Hey Klaus, you seem a little unsteady.”

 

“Shut it, Number  _Two_ ,” he hisses, standing to sort out his chair and pulling the knife out of the wood. “Allison would be mad if she knew you stabbed the table cloth.”

 

His girlfriend reaches her arm out, taking the knife from his hand before shaking it, clearly exasperated. “I'm Eudora, it's nice to meet you.”

 

“Nice to meet you too, Eudora. I feel bad for you, having to deal with him all the time.”

 

“Tell me about it.”

 

“Guys, I'm right here,” Diego grumbles, taking his knife from Eudora and stealing Klaus's second glass of champagne. “I hear you've been shacking up with Ben.”

 

Klaus hits him in the shoulder, satisfied at the scandalised glare he receives for his efforts. “Don't word it like that, he's got a fiancée.”

 

Katie chooses that moment to turn around and pay attention to him again, eyes widening when she sees Diego and Eudora. “Oh I'm sorry, I didn't notice we had more people at our table,” she extends a hand to the both of them, smiling gracefully. “I'm Katie, Ben's fiancée.”

 

The three of them have a quick conversation before Katie turns back around to mention their presence to Ben and Vanya.

 

“She looks a lot like you, Number Four,” Diego whispers to him as Ben and Vanya turn around, introducing themselves to Eudora. “I don't think that's a coincidence.”

 

It's obvious he's trying to stir the pot, but Klaus is good at taking the bait, frowning at him. “I don't think she does.”

 

“Sure.” Diego stands to give Ben a clap on the shoulder, pulling him into a one-armed, manly hug. He ignores Vanya, who in turn stands to get them all drinks.

 

After that round of drinks, Allison announces that the dinner is starting, and that everyone should sit in their allocated seats. Claire and Ophelia come over to the table, still giggling and sharing jokes with each other as Katie helps Ophelia into her seat, before Claire says goodbye, running back to Allison.

 

The dinner goes mostly without a hitch, although there's a lot of tension in the air between Vanya and Diego, just as he'd predicted. Thankfully Eudora is a buffer between them, so despite the fact that neither of them is speaking to the other, most of the conversations go well. At some point, Vanya moves to sit next to Katie, both of them having a quite animated conversation about violins, from what he could hear.

 

Once dinner is finished, the food nice but nothing compared to Ben's homecooking (he's definitely biased, the food was apparently prepared by a Michelin star chef), the orchestra stops playing, to take a break as a DJ takes over, or because they're finished for the night. Ophelia runs off with Claire to dance with the other kids, Vanya disappearing into the crowd to find Allison and Diego and Eudora heading to the bar.

 

“I didn't know you had another sister,” Katie says, an accusatory edge to her voice. “Why didn't you tell me you had a secret sister?”

 

Klaus frowns at Ben. “You didn't mention Vanya?”

 

Ben rolls his eyes, crossing his arms. “There wasn't a need to bring her up. Katie, I barely talked about any of the family before Klaus came to live with us, you only know my other siblings because we're famous.”

 

She nods slowly, clearly not agreeing but just to prevent an argument. They sit in awkward silence for a while before Ophelia runs over and drags Klaus and Ben to the dancefloor to dance with her whilst Claire plays with some of her other friends.

 

“What about your mum?” Klaus asks, looking over his shoulder at her.

 

“She doesn't want to dance, she wants to stay at the table.” Ophelia explains, somehow knowing despite not asking her (or maybe she just doesn't want Katie to dance).

 

Vanya joins Katie again, after her conversation with Allison, so at least she isn't sat at the table on her own.

 

Ben and Klaus dance with Ophelia for a while, most of the songs of the pop genre, and it's fun, if a little exhausting to keep up with her weird dance moves that they are ‘supposed to copy.’

 

Eventually, after about half an hour of the DJ set, the orchestra returns, and Ophelia runs back over to Claire where they're playing a game of pass the parcel.

 

“Where on earth does she get all that energy?” Klaus huffs, hands on his knees after jumping around for what feels like an eternity. Maybe he should join Katie on her morning jogs around the neighbourhood.

 

Ben laughs, the sound breathy, and maybe he should come jogging too. Family jog session. “I don't know, but I'd love some. God, we sound so old.” They both laugh at that, as Klaus straightens back up, stretching his arms above his head. Ben's eyes dart down to where his shirt rides up, revealing a strip of skin at his hips, a flush of heat going through him at the attention.

 

The orchestra begins a soft waltz, a few couples joining them on the dancefloor where they stand. Ben extends a hand to Klaus, his other behind his back like an old-fashioned gentleman. “Care to dance, oh fair maiden?”

 

Klaus rolls his eyes playfully before curtseying with an imaginary skirt, enjoying the quiet chuckles from a few of the spectators before he takes Ben's offered hand, placing his other hand on Ben's shoulder.

 

“You remember how to waltz, right?” Ben asks as he slides his free arm around Klaus's back, over his shoulder blade. They're so close like this, he can smell the earthy tones of Ben's cologne, the mango of his hair gel, the red wine on his breath.

 

“How could I forget?” Klaus responds as they start to move to the music, Ben leading. A simple box step is easy enough to remember without having it drilled into you as a child, let alone with the kind of rigorous training Dad made them do.

 

_“Dancing enables you to learn to have control, to execute yourself with poise and etiquette. You must all have perfect control,” Dad says, tapping the record player with gentle fingers that always turn hard near them. “Fighting is like a dance. Coordination is key in both a fight and a dance.”_

 

“Could probably pasodoble someone to death still, if I wanted,” he jokes, their hold and posture so natural it feels like breathing to be dancing with Ben again. “A waltz is a cakewalk.”

 

They move in a circle with some of the other couples as Ben tries to keep a straight face. “If there's one thing I miss most about being at the academy, it was dance lessons with you.”

 

Klaus smiles fondly as Ben dips him, his hold tight and secure before he pulls him back up against him, maybe a little closer than before. “I don't know, watching you and Diego dance together used to be my favourite part of those lessons.”

 

He's mostly teasing (it was incredibly funny, they were both so awkward with each other about it), but he feels an immense affection at the confession, unsure of what to say next besides deflecting with another joke when the silence goes on for too long.

 

Ben spins him carefully, narrowly avoiding another couple, always so gentle.

 

_His arms are shaking with either nerves or the effort of holding them in such a difficult way, but Ben's face is determined. It's admirable really. Just last night they'd been speaking about how much they both hated the dance lessons, but now Ben seems hell-bent on getting the waltz right. Maybe it's so Dad will stop yelling at them, or maybe it's so he won't have to dance with Diego or Luther again._

 

_Klaus stands on his foot, earning them both a terse reprimand, before he rights himself._

 

_“You're doing great, just let go a little.” Ben mutters quietly into his ear before they spin how Dad told them to._

 

_His hold lessens, and it feels a little more natural now. They've only been doing this for a few weeks, and only together since Dad decided they worked better together than apart._

 

_Dancing with Ben feels so different to how dancing with Allison, or Diego felt, but maybe it's because Ben isn't trying to one up him, simply trying to get it right._

 

_He's so soft in these moments._

 

He still is, calm and sure of himself but not in a cocky way, leading Klaus so well it's like Klaus doesn't even need to think about where he's placing his feet.

 

From the angle they’re now dancing at, Klaus can see Katie at the table, Vanya nowhere in sight. She’s staring right back, her hands in fists on the table, her eyes alight with anger that he can see from so far away, and the moment is lost as he trips over Ben’s feet.

 

“Steady,” Ben mutters as he holds Klaus tighter, keeping him upright. “What happened?”

 

He doesn’t feel like dancing anymore, but he lets Ben spin him again as the piece ends, a more energetic tune starting as they break apart. “Katie… Looks angry.”

 

“Maybe it’s because I didn’t ask her to dance?”

 

“Maybe she knows.”

 

Ben sighs, pulling him over to the bar and waving at Katie who waves back half-heartedly. “She doesn’t. Stop being so paranoid. Someone’s going to overhear something if you’re not careful.”

 

They order some more drinks for everyone and bring them back to the table, Ben passing Katie a glass of white wine as he sits down with more red wine. Klaus puts the other drinks around the table as he sits down as well, smiling brightly when Allison comes over with Diego and Eudora, Vanya not far behind.

 

Most of the night from that point on is spent with the seven of them, five when Allison gets pulled away to talk to some other guests, promising that they should all meet up soon (an empty promise, it will never happen) and Vanya leaves so she won’t be too tired at rehearsal tomorrow.

 

Katie stays quiet for most of the conversations, only really joining in when someone speaks to her directly, and the pit in Klaus’s stomach grows ever slowly the less engaged she becomes.

 

There’s no way she doesn’t know by now. She’s not an idiot, far from it, and although a lot of Diego’s casual ribbing about Ben and Klaus being close is just joking, enough of it hits home too close and Klaus just  _knows_ that this is the point where everything will click for her.

 

He just hopes she has the ability to be calm when the fallout inevitably occurs.

 

Around 11:45, Ben leaves the table to steal Ophelia away from her new best friend, as Katie and Klaus say their goodbyes to Diego and Eudora, waving at Allison as Ben comes back with their daughter.

 

She meets them at the doors, giving them all tight hugs and mentioning setting up playdates for the girls. Klaus starts to follow the others once they begin to head back to the car, but Allison pulls him to the side with a severe but honest look on her face.

 

“If things go sideways, my doors are always open to you.”

 

He frowns, mind slightly muddled from the alcohol. “Sideways?”

 

Allison shakes her head and pulls him deeper into the empty hallway, further away from earshot of the other party-goers. “You and Ben, I mean. I always knew, so I’m surprised he… Has her. But if she finds out and everything comes crashing down, I don’t care what you’ve done. You’re family, you’re always welcome at mine if… You aren’t welcome there anymore.”

 

He laughs, because he might cry if he doesn’t. “That obvious?”

 

She nods, hugging him tightly, before moving back a little. “I’m a phone call away.”

 

Klaus nods too, waving goodbye before leaving, feeling like the world is falling to ruins around him.

 

Shit.

 

* * *

Klaus doesn’t sleep well that night, but thankfully he drank enough that the ghosts aren’t around. He doesn’t think he’d be able to cope with listening to what they think of him when he’s already regretting ever being born.

 

The ride home last night was quiet, Ophelia falling asleep in her car seat and the adults just not saying a word. They all went to bed as soon as they got home, and that’s where Klaus has been since.

 

It’s about one in the afternoon, and he supposes the others must think he’s asleep, because no one has bothered him. Strange, since Ophelia usually comes in and wakes him up if he isn’t up by the time Katie and Ben are going to work.

 

Maybe they aren’t working today. He doesn’t want to think about why that could be.

 

Is he catastrophising? Probably, but for some reason, it feels like he isn’t worrying enough, like he’s just delaying the inevitable by refusing to leave his bedroom.

 

Deciding to just bite the bullet and get whatever is going to happen over and done with, he gets dressed slowly, trying to not make too much noise in case he decides to continue pretending to be asleep.

 

He can’t hear anything from downstairs or the other rooms upstairs when he opens his door, also strange. Usually there’s at least a radio on, or some casual chatter.

 

Katie wanders out of the kitchen just as he steps off the last stair and looks at him for a few moments before smiling sadly (shit) and asking him to follow her into the dining room, because they need to talk (double shit).

 

Ben’s already sat in his usual seat, nursing a cup of coffee, Ophelia nowhere in sight, Mimi barking from the garden. He mentions daycare when Klaus asks where Ophelia is, and the foreboding increases tenfold.

 

Klaus sits down in his seat, pouring himself a glass of milk (his stomach still feels dicey), and watches as Katie sits too. It’s quiet for a few minutes as they all sit awkwardly, the air tense and stifling.

 

“You two are having an affair, aren’t you?”

 

Of all the words he expected to come out of Katie’s mouth today, those were probably the ones he least expected to be first. But she doesn’t sound angry, or sad, or even disbelieving. Just exhausted. The bags under her eyes make Klaus cringe with sympathy, she must’ve been up all night trying to connect the dots and thinking of a way to bring it up.

 

Klaus looks at Ben like a rabbit in the headlights of a racing car, but Ben just sighs, smiling at Klaus reassuringly before nodding, taking another sip of his coffee before putting it down.

 

Katie doesn’t even seem to be shocked, just slumping in her chair and also taking a sip of her drink. It feels like Klaus is watching the scene play out in slow motion, every second stretching so long it feels like the equivalent of wading through treacle.

 

“I don’t… I don’t understand.” Her voice is shaky, some emotion finally seeping in, but it’s worse than if she was angry. She just sounds dejected.

 

Klaus opens his mouth to… Do something, at least, apologise or try to begin to explain despite the fact that he too doesn’t understand, but Ben shakes his head at him, saving him from making things worse, again, thankful that Ben has a way with words most of the time.

 

“There aren’t really any excuses that exonerate us,” he begins, and Katie nods, muttering that she doesn’t want apologies anyway, just an explanation. “But we had such a fucked up sense of relationships as children. You remember how difficult I was to be with the first few years, even once we had Lia. I guess having Klaus around brought back all the feelings I’d buried when I left the academy. I had no idea this would happen.”

 

Klaus nods in agreement when Katie turns to him, and she finishes her drink before composing herself for a moment. “Do you love him, Ben?”

 

“Yeah, I do.”

 

Somehow, it feels less shocking than Klaus thought it would. Maybe he knew all along. More likely that with everything else going on, it just hasn’t really sunk in yet. He can’t even hear the words in his head again, too many other things demanding attention first.

 

“I… I still don’t get it. You’re brothers, you’re related, isn’t it weird for you?”

 

They nod but don’t elaborate. There’s nothing they can say. Of course it’s weird for them, but it’s a weird they’ve dealt with their whole lives, so it doesn’t have the same impact for them as it would for normal people.

 

Katie stands after a while, taking her suitcase out from under the table (this feels familiar) and smiling emptily. “I’m going to stay with my parents until we can sort things out. Ophelia can stay with you, I don’t want to mess her around too much… I’ll need some time to understand, and it's a lot to get my head around, but as much as I want to, I can’t hate either of you,” a few tears slip down her cheeks, and she rubs at her face with a choked laugh. “After all, what did I expect from falling in love with a Hargreeves?”

 

She leaves, promising to call when she feels ready to, to sort out how to split everything, but for now they should stay away from each other.

 

The house is still standing. Klaus still has all his limbs. He feels like he’s just been hit with an atomic bomb.

 

It feels like an eternity after Katie’s car rolls out of the driveway, the sound of the tires on the road still loud in his ears despite it being a long while since she left. The clock ticks on, moving to half past two, and that’s when Ben stands and sits next to Klaus instead of opposite him, clearing his throat to get his attention.

 

Klaus’s hands shake when he swivels in his chair to meet Ben’s gaze, can feel the panic rising and falling in waves with every thought.

 

Ben takes his hands gently, clearly noticing the panic in Klaus’s eyes, and how he’s so calm is completely beyond him, but maybe it just hasn’t hit him yet. Maybe that’ll come at a later date. “We should talk.”

 

He nods, because again, there’s nothing else he can do. He can’t run from this, it’d hurt Ben so much, hurt little Ophelia, would completely destroy all the progress he’s made these past few months in getting better, in being happier.

 

“I… Wanted to tell you when the time was right, when things were calm and everything was already sorted out, so that it could be everything you deserve. But the cat’s out of the bag now, and waiting hasn’t done us any good,” Ben’s voice is soft, gentle, the way it sounds when he’s worried Klaus might fall apart if he isn’t too careful, considerate. “I’ve loved you for so long. And I was a complete ass about it when we were teenagers, and I thought I could run away from my feelings because they scared me. Hid them under layers of pretending to be normal. But when I saw you in that bookstore… I knew then that… There was no escaping them. I knew we’d do something like this, end up in this kind of situation, but I couldn’t let you keep sleeping rough, couldn’t leave you alone.”

 

Klaus lets his words sink in, the confirmation that he  _was_ the reason Ben left them in the first place burning like acid in his chest, only soothed by knowing it was because he  _loves_ him.

 

Ben loves him.

 

Love.

 

“We did this all wrong, I should’ve told you that first night in December, should’ve told Katie it wasn’t going to work…”

 

“It happened how it had to,” Klaus says, voice quiet, breaking a little halfway through his sentence. Salt fills his mouth when he licks his lips, not even realising he was crying, but Ben looks like he might start crying too, and he needs to tell him before it’s too late, before he ruins it once again. “Ben, I love you.”

 

_They’re yelling, and if he wasn’t so upset he’d be surprised that no one has come knocking on the door to tell them to shut up. Dad is away at a press conference, so they don’t have to worry about getting punished for arguing._

 

_“You know it’s not right, Klaus!” Ben seethes, standing across from him near the table in the library, angrily shutting a book. His words are level and somehow, the controlled rage is worse than him lashing out. “And it’s not about what Dad said, before you start, but don’t you think we’re too dependent on each other?”_

 

_“No?” Klaus feels the ghosts press on the back of his mind, begging him to let them out, to let them help soothe his rage. He doesn’t want to know what they mean by that. “Clearly it is about what Dad said, you didn’t have a problem with us before yesterday!”_

 

_“I said it isn’t! This is your problem, Klaus, you only think of yourself. Maybe I’ve been having doubts about us for a while, but you just didn’t notice! Too far in that bubble of yours, high off your ass and only with yourself to blame!”_

 

_It stings, the words hitting him like a tonne of bricks, but he can’t let Ben just slander him, this isn’t like him. “Ben please! Listen to yourself, this isn’t you!”_

 

_“No Klaus, this just isn’t the me you want,” Ben glares with so much heat it could melt glass. “This isn’t the me that you’ve deluded yourself with.”_

 

_“Love isn’t a fucking delusion, you asshole!”_

 

_“Yes it is! You don’t love me, Klaus, and I don’t love you!”_

 

_He’s had his jaw broken, been shot multiple times, been beaten up enough that he coughed up blood, and yet nothing he’s been through has hurt him as much as Ben’s words._

 

_“... You don’t… You don’t mean that…”_

 

_Ben huffs, pushing past Klaus and throwing open the door, turning around to shake his head at him disapprovingly. “I do. It’s better if you just accept it.”_

 

_“Coward…” Klaus whispers, throwing a book at the door as Ben slams it shut behind him, as tears stream down his face like lava. “You fucking coward!”_

 

Will he believe him? Can he do that? Does Klaus even believe Ben’s own confession?

 

“I never stopped loving you…”

 

Ben looks up from where he’s studying the wood grain of the table, and he’s aged so much since the first time they had this discussion, eyes hard and full of emotion, face so expressive and yet so guarded.

 

“I know.” Ben whispers against his lips, the gentle kiss tasting like tears and years of denial and repressed emotions.

 

It’s not ideal. But they never were.

 

They have so much shit to deal with, extremely rocky roads ahead of them, but they’ll be taking it all on together. Klaus can’t wait to have a family again, one that doesn’t feel forced or tense.

 

It's going to be hard, but they have each other.

 

And that's all he could ever have wished for.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So.
> 
> Please don't come for me
> 
> I MANAGED A HAPPY (ish) ENDING ARE YALL PROUD
> 
> I hope it all made sense
> 
> When I was writing it, it all seemed a little rushed (I was like 7000 words in and thinking it was only like five minutes of reading material lmao) but I hope it doesn't feel rushed or badly paced (this is my biggest worry ajsnwnxn)
> 
> I could've made this multichapter but I love the long oneshots with plenty of smut and angst lmao
> 
> Special thanks to Rie (Val_creative), as usual, because they're so supportive! Thanks for encouraging me to be as self indulgent as I could be lmao, I added dark daddy Ben just for you (and me but shh). Hope it's at least some of what you want from that. Love you!!!! <3
> 
> Another huge thanks to the horrance academy, for cheering me on every time I posted a picture of my word count and spammed y'all with how indecisive I am (my word count goal going up every other day lmao). Y'all are my closest fandom friends and I couldn't have written this without the love from you lot. <3
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! <3


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